Ecologically fragile regions face the dual challenge of environmental conservation and improving rural livelihoods. Forest-dependent households are especially exposed to ecological restoration constraints, market fluctuations, and limited institutional access. This study develops a micro-level diagnostic framework that combines the Sustainable Livelihood Framework with resilience theory by adding a risk-resilience dimension to the conventional five-capital structure. Using survey data from 444 forest-farmer households in Songshan District, Inner Mongolia, we calculate livelihood resilience with the entropy-weight method, classify household profiles with K-means clustering, and diagnose constraints with an obstacle-degree model. The mean resilience score is 0.6267, indicating a relatively strong but uneven resilience level. Livelihood risk resilience (0.7476) and financial capital resilience (0.6797) are the strongest dimensions, whereas human capital resilience (0.3521) and physical capital resilience (0.4099) remain weak. The main obstacles are relationships with village cadres (29.66%), household savings (16.25%), livestock and poultry assets (14.70%), village road conditions (13.23%), relationships with relatives and friends (10.99%), and corporate/cooperative assistance effects (6.88%). The findings support targeted interventions in linking social capital, savings capacity, infrastructure, and enterprise-farmer cooperation.

Considering the escalating challenges in ecological environmental protection and the difficulties faced by forest farmers in enhancing livelihood capital in ecologically vulnerable regions, a thorough examination of the impact of capabilities and risk perception on the livelihood resilience of forest farmers can serve as a reference for mitigating pressures on ecological conservation and addressing the enhancement of livelihood capital in similar typical ecologically vulnerable regions. This study utilized micro-level survey data and the Entropy Method to assess the livelihood resilience of forest farmers in an ecologically fragile region. An ordered logit model and a mediating effect model were employed to experimentally examine the influence of capabilities and risk perception on resilience. The results demonstrate that (1) the livelihood resilience of forest farmers exhibits a multi-dimensional, hierarchical condition; (2) capabilities exert a substantial positive influence on livelihood resilience, while risk perception has a considerable negative effect; and (3) capabilities affect the livelihood resilience of forest farmers by mitigating their risk perception. This paper concludes that, for the region under study, internal efforts should be undertaken to enhance forest farmers’ capabilities by increasing their income levels, strengthening their information acquisition skills, and promoting their participation in practical forestry training. The forest product market system must be enhanced externally, and technical thresholds reduced to alleviate perceptions of market volatility and natural disaster risks, ultimately improving livelihood resilience.