By measuring the safety resilience levels of Camellia oleifera across the nation, core development regions, and key expansion areas, assessing spatial disparities among different production zones and provinces, and identifying obstacle factors affecting resilience, this study aims to provide actionable pathways for promoting high-quality industry development and enhancing overall Camellia oleifera security.

A comprehensive safety resilience index system for Camellia oleifera was constructed. Using the entropy weight method, Theil index, and ArcGIS natural breaks classification, we analyzed the spatial distribution, regional disparities, and evolutionary trends of safety resilience across 15 major Camellia oleifera-producing provinces (autonomous regions/municipalities) from 2010 to 2022. Obstacle degree analysis was further employed to identify key constraining factors.

1) The national average resilience level of Camellia oleifera exhibited sustained growth, with upward trends observed across different production zones and provinces, indicating significantly enhanced risk resistance and shock adaptability. By 2022, two provinces achieved high resilience status, while 12 were classified as moderately resilient; 2) The Theil index of Camellia oleifera safety resilience displayed a U-shaped trend, initially declining before rising, suggesting widening inter-provincial disparities primarily driven by intra-regional differences; 3) Key influencing factors included production-transportation-sales robustness, industrial coordination, technological advancement, forestry investment, fiscal expenditure on science and technology, and Camellia oleifera cultivation area, which substantially impacted resilience enhancement at both national and regional levels.

While safety resilience in Camellia oleifera production has strengthened nationwide and within major regions, inter-provincial disparities show signs of further divergence. Therefore, implementing regionally coordinated and precisely targeted policies, targeted mitigation of key obstacle factors, and enhancing holistic industrial chain synergy and market-driven mechanisms are critical strategies for improving Camellia oleifera safety resilience.