Value Realization, Influencing Factors, and Multiple Configuration Pathways of Grassland Ecological Products: An Empirical Study of the Hexi Corridor

Improving the mechanism for the value realization of ecological products constitutes a critical pathway to achieving the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. Based on the logical mechanism of the supply–demand theory, this study identifies and summarizes the connotations, accounting, and value realization mechanisms of ecological products. On the basis of enriching the existing literature, this study employs panel data from 2011 to 2023 to measure the value of grassland ecological products in the Hexi Corridor and conduct a visual analysis of their spatial differentiation characteristics. It further explores the impact of social activities on value realization, performs fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), and proposes multiple configuration pathways for the value realization of grassland ecological products. The results indicate that: (1) the value realization of grassland ecological products in the Hexi Corridor is inadequate, with a significant gap between the actual value and the theoretical value; (2) significant differences are observed among environmental beautification products, ecological cultural products, and ecological space products, forming a distribution pattern of “higher in the west and lower in the east” centered on Jiuquan City; (3) the value realization of ecological products is closely associated with social activities, whereby a relatively homogenous industrial structure and low degree of opening-up exert a significant negative impact on it, and the value of ecological products cannot be effectively realized relying solely on the market mechanism; (4) based on institutional configuration and by applying dynamic Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), we select the primary conversion rate of ecological products as the outcome variable. Considering the actual conditions of various regions, four diversified configurational paths are proposed: namely, the conservation-driven path under ecological compensation, the development-driven path fueled by capital, the quality-upgrading path driven by the dual engines of capital and the environment, and the efficiency-enhancing path led by environmental governance.