Exploring the High-Quality County-Level Development and Governance Response for Farming–Pastoral Ecotone in China: A Case Study of Kulun

Abstract

As a special territory type, the farming–pastoral ecotone is facing challenges surrounding path creation and high-quality and sustainable development. Counties are not only an important spatial unit to promote high-quality development, but also an important part of the modernization of the national governance system. County-level development is the critical driving force of sustainable development and the breakthrough of governance modernization in the farming-pastoral ecotone. First, this study systematically reviews the progress of the farming–pastoral ecotone and high-quality development. Then, this study adopts the “Driving Forces-Pressure-State-Impact-Responses” (DPSIR) model and entropy method to construct an analysis framework. Third, taking Kulun county as a typical case, this study diagnoses the state of high-quality county-level development in the farming–pastoral ecotone. Finally, a governance mechanism of “idea-space-industry-people’s livelihood-governance” has been proposed. This study provides theoretical guidance for the high-quality development of the farming–pastoral ecotone and enriches the body of knowledge regarding high-quality development.