Digital ecological civilization constitutes a key component of the Digital China strategy and serves as a defining discourse that reflects the characteristics of ecological civilization in the new era. This concept is not merely a theoretical abstraction; rather, it has emerged within a specific historical context driven by technological empowerment, transformational imperatives, and green intelligence, integrating both technological causality and value orientation. In terms of its connotations, digital ecological civilization embodies a threefold dialectical unity. First, it represents the integration of “digital ecologization” and “ecological digitalization”, marking a shift in civilizational paradigm from humans’ unilateral transformation of nature to a bidirectional construction between technology and ecology. Second, it unifies conformity to objective laws with purposiveness, adhering to the objective laws of ecosystems while orienting itself toward sustainable development and ecological justice. Third, it harmonizes instrumental rationality with value rationality, reshaping the understanding of the human-nature relationship through the interplay of technological logic and ethical principles. Currently, the advancement of digital ecological civilization faces multiple obstacles, including the misalignment among technology, ecology, and system in the transition toward new quality productive forces; imbalances in stakeholder collaboration, data flow, and international cooperation within digital ecological governance; and constraints such as insufficient public awareness, fragmented services, and inadequate mechanisms for implementation in promoting green and intelligent lifestyles. To address these challenges, a systematic coupling of productive forces, production relations, and lifestyles is required. This can be achieved by advancing core technological breakthroughs and improving digital infrastructure to foster the green upgrading of new quality productive forces; strengthening institutional coordination to clarify rights and responsibilities, thereby constructing a collaboratively governed digital ecological production relationship; and promoting the internalization of ecological values and their integration into daily life to guide green and intelligent lifestyles toward becoming a social norm. Through these measures, digital ecological civilization can transition from concept to practice, opening a new horizon of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.