Objectives Taking Laoshan Scenic Area in Shandong Province as the research object, this study scientifically calculates its Gross ecosystem product (GEP) for the year 2023 and systematically quantifies the potential value of ecosystem services in this region, aiming to provide a regional case study for the ecological value assessment of natural protected areas.

Methods We applied the theoretical and methodological framework of resource and environmental economics and GEP accounting. Multi-source data acquisition approaches were employed, including UAV-borne LiDAR mapping, remote sensing image interpretation, field plot surveys, and statistical analysis. In accordance with the technical specification for accounting GEP in Shandong Province, the functional volume and value volume of monetary products, regulating services, and cultural services across five ecosystem types (forest, farmland, wetland, urban, and bare rock) within the 345.44 km² study area.

Results The results revealed that the GEP of Laoshan scenic area reached 23.515 billion RMB in 2023, with a GEP per unit area of 68.071 9 million RMB/km², which was significantly higher than that of most domestic natural protected areas of the same type. The value composition showed that cultural services accounted for 17.821 billion RMB (75.78%), regulating services for 4.020 billion RMB (17.10%), and material products for 1.674 billion RMB (7.12%). The value of various regulating service indicators ranked as follows: biodiversity maintenance > flood mitigation > water conservation > climate regulation > oxygen release > soil retention > water purification > carbon sequestration > air purification. Forest ecosystems made the most outstanding contribution, followed by the wetland ecosystem. The GEP structure characteristics of Laoshan scenic area, which were dominated by cultural services, stem from its unique mountain-sea landscape, rich biodiversity, and profound Taoist cultural heritage.

Conclusions Through GEP accounting, this study systematically quantified the potential value of ecosystem service functions in Laoshan scenic area and clarified the contribution of ecosystems to human well-being and sustainable socio-economic development. The findings not only provide important decision-making support for the ecological conservation and sustainable development of Laoshan scenic area, but also contribute an empirical basis for improving China's value realization mechanism of ecological products and advancing the construction of the ecological civilization institutional system, further enriching the application of ecological economics theory in the management practice of natural protected areas.