Ecosystem service connectivity (ESC) is the spatial and functional links among and within ecosystems that support unimpeded service flows, and that could play an important role in ecosystem stability enhancement and regional land planning. Understanding the relationships between landscape patterns and ESC is crucial to achieving certain sustainable development goals, but it has not yet received an adequate amount of attention. Here, we evaluated the changes and connectivity of five key types of ecosystem services from 2000 to 2020 and analyzed the correlations and spatial aggregations between the ESCs and landscape metrics in the wetlands of the Yellow River Delta, China. Various research methods, such as the InVEST model, spatial autocorrelation analysis, Spearman’s correlation, and self-organizing map, were applied. The results showed that water yield, water purification, and habitat quality showed high connectivity, but the overall ESC declined along with the restoration of the wetland area. Meanwhile, the High-High ESC cluster of water yield, water purification, and habitat quality had similar spatial distribution patterns, and both were dominated by tidal flats. Moreover, the ESC and landscape metrics showed significant correlations and spatial heterogeneity, and a potential connectivity between water yield and habitat quality was also found. These findings can assist decision-makers in developing effective ecosystem management strategies and provide a reference for future research on ecosystem service connectivity.

China’s National Ecological Civilization Pilot Zone (NECPZ) policy serves as a comprehensive policy for ecological and environmental sustainability that simultaneously enhances residents’ income. Using a panel dataset of 1761 counties in China from 2010 to 2022 and a staggered difference–in–differences (DID) methodology, this paper examines whether and through which mechanisms the NECPZ policy affects rural residents’ income. Our findings reveal that the NECPZ policy significantly increases rural residents’ income. The mechanism analysis indicates that ecological fiscal support, eco–industries’ development, and non–agricultural employment are crucial channels through which benefits are achieved. Furthermore, the NECPZ policy exhibits stronger effects in counties where rural residents have a lower income, suggesting its potential to mitigate income inequality. The income–enhancing effects also vary with local development conditions. Counties with higher agricultural endowments, stronger fiscal self-sufficiency, and greater entrepreneurial dynamism experience more pronounced gains. The NECPZ policy significantly increases rural residents’ income in the central–western regions, while the policy shows no positive effects in the eastern regions. These findings provide evidence on how the NECPZ leads to the growth of rural residents’ income, contributing to the design and implementation of ecological and environmental sustainability policies.