Abstract: Interactions among natural resources, socio−economic and ecological systems makes the resources, socio−economic and ecology as a coupled system. The coupled resources−socio−economic–ecological (REE) system were introduced for the cognitive connotation for ecological protection and restoration from the perspective of the coupled REE system. Based on the frontier research of coupled social−ecological system and the above cognitive connotation, we summarized three shortcomings of ecological restoration which were mainly reflected in the insufficient systemic nature of elemental association, insufficient spatial−scale integrated linkage and insufficient synergy with social sustainable development objectives. Therefore, we proposed the strategies for the transformation from coupling perspective in three aspects, including: ① strengthening systematic goals for pattern and pattern optimization, ② strengthening spatial linkage coordination among different scales, ③ enhancing matching with sustainable developing in high−quality synergy.