Tendencies of Residents in Sanjiangyuan National Park to the Optimization of Livelihoods and Conservation of the Natural Reserves

Abstract

Current research on residents’ ecological protection behaviors commonly adopts the socio-economic approach at the individual level. Yet, such an approach might ignore the impacts of potential psychological factors on resident behaviors, such as on farmers’ willingness and perception to conservation (collectively defined as residents’ tendencies in this study). This research analyzed the factors influencing residents’ preferences for conservation and livelihood trade-off at the community level in Sanjiangyuan National Park, China. We conclude: First, the factors associated with government funding lead to residents’ inclination to trust local government. Subsequently, abundant wealth contributes to the open-mindedness of residents to accept that “changes” are worthy. Second, despite the limited level of education, the fact that residents do not consider terms and conditions of regulations does not hinder recent social and ecological transformation. Third, residents’ comparative support for policies and regulations are commonly related to their interests in livelihood and ecological protection, but the support levels differ among different counties due to geographical and social heterogeneities. Collectively, policymakers should realize the importance of residents’ tendencies as well as their confidence in local government when planning to optimize social ecological transformation policies with a balance between the compensations given and benefits received.

Feedback and Trigger of Household Decision-Making to Ecological Protection Policies in Sanjiangyuan National Park

“…The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) aims to establish links between scientific research and policymaking to enhance the conservation and utilization of biodiversity and to ensure long-term human wellbeing and the sustainable development of societies ( Wan et al, 2021 ). Recently, a series of assessments from the IPBES show that sustainable goals may be likely to be achieved with an improved understanding of the feedback relationship between society and ecosystems, in global, while improved effectiveness of governance systems also matters ( Mastrangelo et al, 2019 ; Ma et al, 2020 ). For obtaining more wellbeing from ecosystems, humans alter natural ecosystems, either directly or indirectly ( Thiault et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Maintaining sustainable development and improving human wellbeing have been highly considered by policymakers in China. The long-term social and ecological protection policies and plans have significantly contributed to maintain local ecological stability ( Ma et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Enhancement of human wellbeing and protection of natural ecosystems in natural reserves have been of international concerns on sustainable development ( Fang, 2013 ; Mastrangelo et al, 2019 ; Zheng et al, 2020 ). Of all the effort, natural reserves have been the most prevalent approach shared by governments in over 150 countries ( Ma et al, 2020 ). The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has explicitly proposed to “construction of protected areas system with national parks as the main body” which is a major measure of ecological civilization of China ( Du et al, 2020 ; Gu et al, 2020 ; Zhao, 2021 ).…”

“…Its targets are to protect the authenticity and integrity of the ecosystems and to achieve the harmonious development between humans and nature ( Zhao et al, 2020 ; Zhao, 2021 ). Construction of national parks in China is still in the experimental stage, requiring further progress and following a top-down management model ( Ma et al, 2020 ). As the primary type of protected area, national park has been playing an important role in biodiversity conservation ( Ma et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Construction of national parks in China is still in the experimental stage, requiring further progress and following a top-down management model ( Ma et al, 2020 ). As the primary type of protected area, national park has been playing an important role in biodiversity conservation ( Ma et al, 2020 ). As the first national park in China, the establishment of Sanjiangyuan National Park (SNP) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) brings a sustainability focus and is vital for wildlife protection with respect to both phylogenetic resources and conservation efforts ( Lin and Zhang, 2020 ; Xi et al, 2020 ; Su et al, 2021 ).…”