Cultivated land intensive utilization (CLIU) exhibits spatial heterogeneity that is influenced by both natural and anthropogenic factors, with land dissected into different scale systems; however, CLIU has not yet been systematically explored. This study takes the Beibu Gulf urban agglomeration, a national-level model area for integrated land and sea development in China, as an example to investigate the spatial heterogeneity of CLIU and explore its driving factors through multiple econometrical and geographical methods, including identifying its underlying mechanisms. The results indicate that (1) the CLIU index is 0.334, its Gini coefficient is 0.183, and its comprehensive level has a low intensity and obvious spatial nonequilibrium characteristics. Hypervariable density (50.33%) and the intraprovincial gap (45.6%) are the main sources. (2) Among the independent effects of single factors, the multiple cropping index (0.57), labor force index (0.489), and intensification of construction land (0.375) exert the most influence on CLIU spatial variation. The interaction effects of two factors primarily manifested as nonlinear enhancements, with the interaction between the labor force index and multiple cropping index being particularly noteworthy (0.859). (3) The geographically weighted regression coefficients reveal that temperature (0.332), multiple cropping index (0.211), and labor force index (0.209) have relatively large and positive impacts on CLIU, while slope (−0.1), precipitation (−0.087), and population urbanization (−0.039) have relatively small and negative impacts; all factors exhibit spatial nonstationarity. The spatial heterogeneity of CLIU in the Beibu Gulf urban agglomeration is characterized by patterns’ nonequilibrium and factors’ nonstationarity. The driving mode of multiple factors on CLIU is manifested as follows: natural factors of cropland utilization provide basic guarantees, internal factors of CLIU provide positive enhancement, and external factors of land intensive utilization provide auxiliary promotion.

In China, the New Quality Productive Forces (NQPF) and ecological restoration have become a national strategy. Investigating the interrelated mechanisms between NQPF and Territorial Spatial Ecological Restoration (TSERS) is essential for promoting high-quality development. We analyse the non-linear relationship between NQPF and TSERS employing fixed effects, moderating effects, and threshold models. The following results were observed: 1) The differences in NQPF among provinces gradually decreased and exhibited significant spatial agglomeration, while the differences in TSERS gradually increased and showed no significant spatial agglomeration; 2)The NQPF and TSERS of provincial units in China exhibited a centripetal clustering trend in the northeast-southwest direction; 3) China’s NQPF exhibited a significant and positive promotional effect on TSERS, with the regression coefficient of the main effect at 0.435 (including time-lagged effects); 4) There was a double threshold for the influence of NQPF on TSERS, with land green use efficiency being the threshold variable (the threshold values were 0.246 and 1.414, respectively); moreover, the influence of NQPF on TSERS gradually decreased after crossing the threshold value. We provide a novel perspective on examining the relationship between NQPF and ecological restoration while simultaneously evaluating the regulatory effectiveness of land green use efficiency in improving the broader scope of territorial ecological restoration. The findings suggest that the advancement of NQPF can significantly enhance TSERS. Policy recommendations include regulating the expansion of construction land, establishing criteria for ecological management, and implementing taxes on ecological restoration.