Evaluation of Ecological Product Development Based on “Potential-Suitability” and Its Coupling Relationship with Industries： A Case Study of Xixia County

To address the dilemma of disconnection between resource exploitation and industrial layout in the process of ecological product value realization, and to explore the spatial guidance path for the sound development of ecological industries, this study constructed an evaluation framework of “potential-suitability-industrial status” for ecological product development. Taking Xixia County of Henan Province, a pilot area for the value realization mechanism of ecological products in the field of natural resources, as the research object, this study empirically evaluated the development potential and suitability of its ecological products, as well as the coupling coordination degree between these ecological attributes and three major industries including agriculture, industry and tourism. Furthermore, the spatial differentiation characteristics of the three ecological industries were revealed, the spatial zoning for these industries was carried out, and targeted optimization strategies for development of each zone were put forward. The results show that: ① The overall development potential of ecological products in Xixia County is relatively high, with the high-, medium- and low-potential areas accounting for 16.92%, 54.41% and 28.67% of the total area respectively, forming a spatial pattern of “high-value agglomeration in the core area and gradient decrease in the peripheral areas”. The development suitability presents a gradient distribution feature of “high in the south and low in the north”, and the suitable, moderately suitable and unsuitable areas account for 12.49%, 49.87% and 37.64% respectively, which reflects the contrast between the ecological advantages in the southern region and the topographical constraints in the northern region. ② The spatial differentiation of the development level of the three major industries in Xixia County is significant: the high-level agricultural development areas are agglomerated in the southern part; the high-level industrial development areas are centrally distributed in a corridor pattern with the central river valley zone as the core; the high-level tourism development areas form a dual-core structure of “Funiu Mountain Ecological Zone-Guan River Corridor”. ③ Based on the ternary coupling coordination analysis of development potential, suitability and industrial development status, the whole county is divided into four types of ecological industry development zones, namely key development zone, priority development zone, moderate expansion zone and conservation & cultivation zone. The functional orientation and development direction of each zone between ecological protection and industrial development are clarified, and differentiated development strategies are proposed. This study provides theoretical support and practical reference for ecological product value realization and territorial space governance, and is conducive to promoting the high-quality transformation of ecological resources into ecological capital.