Altitude‐Driven Differences in Conflict Identification and Conjugate Governance of Agricultural‐Ecological Spaces in Plateau Mountain Regions

ABSTRACT Plateau mountain regions are critical zones for integrating ecological security with agricultural activities, where exploring altitudinal gradient patterns of spatial conflicts is essential for refined territorial governance. However, existing research remains unsystematic, and rigid management models relying solely on “control lines” often fail to address the complex functional demands of vertical zonality, thereby exacerbating land degradation and conservation–development tensions. To address these issues, the study selected the Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration, a representative plateau and mountainous region, as a case area, and constructed an integrated research framework of “altitudinal zoning—conflict identification—conjugate governance”. Based on the development suitability evaluation of agricultural–ecological spaces, the study established principles for conflict identification, revealed the gradient differentiation characteristics of spatial conflicts, delineated conjugate governance spaces under the mechanism of “conflict resolution and conjugate coordination,” and proposed governance pathways from the perspectives of parallel and integrated conjugation. The results indicated that (1) approximately 43.71% of the agricultural–ecological spaces in the Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration were subject to varying degrees of spatial conflict risk, exhibiting clear differentiation across the three altitudinal gradients, including Low‐Mountain Valley Space, Mid‐Mountain Hilly Space, and Alpine Gorge Space. Conflict intensity was highest in the Mid‐Mountain Hilly Space (47.95% total conflict, including 28.84% severe conflict), followed by the Low‐Mountain Valley Space (41.94% total conflict, including 24.22% severe conflict), and weakest in the Alpine Gorge Space (30.02% total conflict). (2) The Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration was divided into eight conjugate governance spaces under two main categories: “parallel conjugate spaces” and “integrated conjugate spaces”. The ecological core spaces and ecological integrated development spaces are the most extensive, accounting for 34.15% and 21.55% of the total area respectively. Altitudinally adapted governance pathways were proposed to transform conflict‐prone areas into flexible and coordinated spaces, realizing the transition of agricultural–ecological spaces from “conflict” to “conjugation”. (3) A framework of “altitudinal zoning—conflict identification—conjugate governance” had been proposed. Its application in the Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration facilitates the effective identification of gradient spatial conflicts in agricultural–ecological spaces and supports adaptive governance. The framework provides a practical and operational approach for balancing conservation and development in plateau mountain and other complex terrain regions, contributing to sustainable land management and the refinement of territorial spatial governance in mountainous areas.