Is there any way to protect the M1 SSD by sacrificing space / How to over-provision an SSD on MacOS?

Solution 1:

SSDs just don't work like that.
Formatting & partitioning aren't placed in 'zones' like on an HD. The sectors/cells that the drive keeps as spares aren't even accessible to the OS, only to the drive's internal firmware. SSDs 'spray' data right across the usable sectors using complex algorithms really only known to the drive itself to prevent excessive wear.

The way to ensure an SSDs life is to keep a lot of free space on it. The smaller the drive, the larger the percentage. 10-15% minimum free on large drives; teeny ones, 128GB & 256GB, I'd keep a minimum of 25-35GB free.