The impact of socio-economic transformation on forest fragmentation: a case study of the Wuling Mountain Area

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to examine the impacts of socio-economic transformation on forest fragmentation and to reveal the mediating transmission mechanisms of labor out-migration, agricultural productivity improvement and energy structure transition in this process, providing empirical evidence for achieving synergistic development and conservation in impoverished regions.Design/methodology/approachBased on panel data from 71 counties in the Wuling Mountain Area spanning 2003–2023, this research establishes a socio-economic transformation indicator framework encompassing four dimensions: economic development foundation, industrial structure modification, social advancement and green development. Using fixed effects models and mediation effect models, the study systematically investigates the impacts of socio-economic transformation on forest fragmentation and its transmission mechanisms.FindingsFirst, socio-economic transformation exerts a considerable mitigating effect on forest fragmentation in the Wuling Mountain Area. Second, labor out-migration, agricultural productivity improvement and energy structure transition represent three key mediating pathways through which transformation alleviates forest fragmentation. Third, the mitigating effect of socio-economic transformation demonstrates notable heterogeneity.Originality/valueThis study introduces the perspective of socio-economic transformation into forest fragmentation research. Using the Wuling Mountain Area, a contiguous poverty-stricken region in China, as a case study, it broadens the analytical framework of Forest Transition Theory by integrating wider socio-economic transformation processes into the elucidation of forest fragmentation dynamics.Highlights:Socio-economic transformation markedly mitigates forest fragmentation in the Wuling Mountain Area, and this conclusion remains robust across several robustness tests.Labor out-migration, improvements in agricultural productivity and the energy transition constitute three key mediating pathways through which socio-economic transformation alleviates forest fragmentation.