Trade-offs between land use intensity and ecosystem services in ecologically critical areas from a decoupling perspective and their policy implications

• Ecosystem services in the Dabie Mountains show a high-central, low-peripheral pattern. • Decoupling mechanisms between land use and ecosystem services are identified. • Win-win strategies are found in agricultural and urbanizing areas. • Region-specific sustainable management approaches are suggested. Understanding the interactions between land use intensity and ecosystem services is vital for balancing development and ecological protection in ecologically critical areas. This study analyzed six types of ecosystem service values in the Dabie Mountains from 2000 to 2020 and explored their interactions with land use intensity using a decoupling framework. The results show: (1) Land use intensity maintained a stable “high in plains–low in mountains” pattern and continued to intensify. (2) Grain production increased in the northern plains, while water yield, soil conservation, carbon storage, habitat quality, and total ecosystem service value showed a “central high–peripheral low” pattern, with overall declines mainly in the southwest. (3) Strong negative decoupling dominated during 2000–2010, showing spatial clustering. From 2010 to 2020, expansion negative decoupling became dominant for water yield (41%) and soil conservation (39%), while total service value was mainly characterized by strong decoupling (36%). (4) Expansion negative decoupling shifted from urban/agricultural development zones with high NDVI decline and increased human activity (2000–2010) to agricultural growth areas (2010–2020).(5) Based on these findings, this study proposes region-specific strategies for the Dabie Mountains: the northern agricultural development zone should promote locally adapted eco-agriculture; the central ecological priority zone should continue along a path of sustainable governance and develop eco-tourism; the southern urbanizing zone should focus on green industrial development and enhance clean production. These targeted approaches support a win–win path for land use and ecosystem services and provide new perspectives for ecological planning in critical areas.