Digital empowerment for ecological governance in South China Sea island villages: mechanism, efficiency, and stakeholder network analysis

Introduction Against the backdrop of global digital transformation and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14: Life Below Water), digital technologies may mitigate ecological degradation and strengthen governance capacity in geographically isolated island villages. South China Sea island villages face coral reef decline, coastal eutrophication, and fragmented multi-stakeholder collaboration, yet digital governance research lacks island-specific frameworks and integrated quantitative evidence. This study develops a mixed-methods framework linking the empowerment mechanism, measured efficiency, and stakeholder network. Methods We combined a qualitative mechanism analysis with a slack-based DEA model (DEA-SBM), a bootstrap-truncated second-stage regression of efficiency drivers, and social network analysis (SNA), using 30 semi-structured stakeholder interviews (2021–2023), field surveys, administrative and platform records, and panel data from ten representative island villages over 2019–2023. Results A three-dimensional mechanism—technical, collaborative, and regulatory empowerment—operates along a sky–sea–land perceptionintelligent decision-makingcoordinated execution chain. Mean comprehensive efficiency was 0.77, rising from 0.69 in 2019 to 0.81 in 2023. Collaboration intensity and technical–scenario matching were positively associated with efficiency, whereas resident participation capacity and island area were only marginally associated; all findings are correlational rather than causal. The government-dominated network was moderately dense. Discussion The framework extends digital marine governance theory to small-island contexts; given the ten-unit sample, associations are cautious rather than causal. Targeted measures—collaborative platforms, scenario-matched technology, resident digital capacity, and slack-input reallocation—support reef conservation and offer replicable insights for vulnerable island ecosystems worldwide.