Digital economy empowering low-carbon collaborative governance and ecological restoration in forestry

Abstract

Low-carbon synergistic governance in the forestry industry constitutes a critical component of agricultural engineering. It holds substantial practical significance for China in addressing the strategic challenges posed by the “dual-carbon” goals and fostering high-quality regional economic development. From the perspective of the digital economy and drawing on Germany’s experience, this paper investigates the logical framework, practical challenges, and implementation mechanisms through which the digital economy can synergistically enhance low-carbon development in forestry. The findings reveal that the upstream enabling pathway is realized via a forest information monitoring mechanism, a resource analysis and utilization management mechanism, and an ecological restoration management mechanism, all of which are underpinned by the operation of intelligent equipment and natural resource regeneration. The midstream pathway primarily focuses on a raw material management mechanism for forestry inputs during processing and a supply-chain synergy mechanism that facilitates cross-sectoral coordination. The downstream pathway centers on a forest product marketing mechanism and a consumer-oriented service management mechanism. In-depth analysis indicates that, under current conditions, the digital economy’s enablement of forestry for low-carbon objectives still faces governance challenges. These include data security risks for target entities, “market failure” in the digital transformation of enabling actors, and insufficient regulatory policies within the enabling framework, necessitating further targeted policy recommendations.

Keywords

Digital economy / Forestry industry / Low-carbon transition / Industrial synergy

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