How to effectively activate the diverse values of degraded ecological spaces while strictly abiding by the red line of ecological protection remains a key challenge for current regional sustainable development. Taking the Wuhan Metropolitan Area as the study area, this research constructed an evaluation framework for the coordinated potential of ecological restoration and recreational utilization, which integrates dominant ecological functions and spatial management constraints, and systematically assessed the coordinated potential, types, and spatial distribution of the two.The results show that from 2000 to 2022, the moderately and severely degraded ecological spaces in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area covered 3,614.70 km2. Among these areas, 98.02% are outside the restricted utilization zones of the ecological protection red line, and 74.46% have medium to high potential for recreational utilization.Based on this, four coordinated restoration and utilization orientations were further identified, namely "priority restoration - full utilization", "general restoration - full utilization", "priority restoration - moderate utilization", and "general restoration - moderate utilization". Additionally, eight differentiated types of coordinated restoration and utilization (such as "mountain and forest recreational experience type") were proposed, providing classified guidance for the refined governance of territorial space and the realization of ecological product values in the metropolitan area.