A novel methodology for poverty evaluation and spatiotemporal coupling coordination between poverty and eco-environment quality: a case study in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, China

• A novel geospatial comprehensive poverty index was proposed. • Coupling interaction between poverty and EEQ were quantified by using of LTCCD model. • There is a decreasing trend in poverty and an increasing trend in EEQ in the YGP from 2012 to 2023. • Poverty and EEQ presents a high level of coordinated development, with slightly upward trend. • Multiple strategies can be implemented to promote the sustainable development of regional society-economy-environment system. The coordinated development between poverty alleviation and ecological restoration is essential for sustainable socioeconomic and environmental progress. As poverty alleviation efforts intensify in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau (YGP), the ecological environment has become increasingly fragile. However, traditional methods of poverty measurement face challenges in data collection, model construction, and dynamic analysis. Moreover, the interactive mechanism between poverty and Ecological Environment Quality (EEQ) remains unclear. Therefore, this study developed a novel Geospatial Comprehensive Poverty Index (GCPI) using multiple datasets to identify poverty and verified its applicability. Furthermore, the interaction between poverty and EEQ was investigated utilizing the Local and Tele-coupling Coordination Degree (LTCCD) model. This study also analyzed the spatiotemporal dynamics of GCPI, RSEI, and LTCCD between poverty and EEQ in the YGP from 2012 to 2023. The results revealed that: 1) GCPI showed a decreasing trend, with an average annual decline rate of −0.0015 year −1 , indicating effective poverty alleviation. 2) RSEI exhibited an increasing trend, with an average annual growth rate of 0.0035 year −1 , and its mean value increased from 0.5318 to 0.5830 reflecting continuous improvement in the overall EEQ across the YGP during the study period. 3) The LTCCD between poverty and EEQ across all counties ranged from 0.592 to 0.829, with a slightly increasing trend, demonstrating a high level of coordinated development between poverty and EEQ in the YGP. This work provides a novel methodology for assessing coupling coordination between poverty and EEQ, which can support the long-term sustainable development of regional society-economy-environment system.