Abstract Forward and reverse succession of karst rocky desertification (KRD) occur simultaneously and are linked to human activity, thus presenting a mutual feedback loop. Previous studies have focused on the unilateral human‐driven mechanism of KRD or KRD's impact on social–economic activities. These lack quantitative measurement and an in‐depth understanding of the interactions involved. Therefore, this study builds and applies a novel model for measuring the coupling relationship and degree between KRD and social–economic activity in the Guizhou karst region of China. The results show an overall improvement but local deterioration in KRD from 2000 to 2011; conversely, social–economic activity intensities increased during that time period. With their spatio‐temporal variation, positive and negative human–desertification coupling relationships with an increased coupling degree are found. Different coupling relationship types between KRD and social–economic development, including urbanization, economic development, and household income, are shown. We found that KRD is strongly positively coupled with specific human behavior intensities, such as population movement, steep slope cultivation, and ecological restoration. An inverted U‐shaped curve is observed in the coupling index of KRD and urbanization within different development levels. Negative coupling at a low urbanization level indicates the limitation of the karst physical environment upon social–economic development. Positive coupling with increasing urbanization implies a conflict between environment protection and social–economic development. A return to negative coupling in several counties with high urbanization levels indicates a “win–win” for ecology and the economy. The proposed coupling model's effectiveness is demonstrated, informing differentiated strategies for combating KRD and improving social–economic development.
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