Examining the links between livelihood sustainability and environmental protection in the anti-poverty relocation and settlement program areas: An empirical analysis of Shaanxi, China

Abstract

Consistent with the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, China has initiated a large-scale anti-poverty relocation and settlement program (the ARSP), aiming to restore ecosystems and lift impoverished populations out of the poverty trap and into sustainable livelihoods. Unlike previous studies that focus on the population issues of the ARSP, we examine the links between livelihood sustainability and environmental protection (“livelihoods–environment”) in the ARSP areas. We found that the links are generally weak, with low levels of both livelihood sustainability and environmental protection. The disorder category is the most common in both the overall and the regional samples, with the mild and borderline disorder categories being the most common subcategories. The results varied regionally, and indicated that environmental problems can be more prominent in regions with fragile environments. Household-level distribution shows significant differences in the strengths of the links among different demographic groups, and regression results show that higher levels of average education, loan amount, and asset holdings, as well as lower proportions of the elderly and non-agricultural activities were associated with stronger links. These household factors influenced the links through different mechanisms.

Linking Natural Resource Dependence to Sustainable Household Wellbeing: A Case Study in Western China

“…Poverty eradication, health and wellbeing, and terrestrial ecology are some of the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the deep hopes of China. Through disaster resettlement, the Chinese government is trying to address the urgent problems of natural resource shortage and poor wellbeing of residents in some areas, achieving the win-win goals of resource protection and wellbeing enhancement [44]. Many studies have assessed the impact of disaster resettlement on sustainable livelihoods [11,12], and a few studies have attempted to explore the effect of disaster resettlement on the ES and natural resource dependence of rural households [9,25].…”

The Impact of the Anti-Poverty Relocation and Settlement Program on Farmers’ Livelihood: Perspective of Livelihood Space

“…The answer to this question is the key to strengthening the targeting of policies in the post-support stage. Existing studies have discussed the issue mainly in terms of the links between livelihood sustainability and environmental protection [15], the links between migration and livelihood [16], well-being and ecosystem dependence [17], livelihood capital [18], livelihood strategy choices [19], livelihood resilience [20], and risk resistance capacity [21]. Further, some studies have begun to draw on the geographic school of thought to identify the spatial distribution of poverty, finding that there is a clear spatial poverty trap (SPT) in rural China [22,23].…”