TY - JOUR

T1 - Willingness of smallholder rubber farmers to participate in ecosystem protection

T2 - Effects of household wealth and environmental awareness

AU - Min, Shi

AU - Bai, Junfei

AU - Huang, Jikun

AU - Waibel, Hermann

N1 - Funding information: This study was conducted in the framework of the Sino-German “SURUMER Project”, funded by the Bundesministerium für Wissenschaft, Technologie und Forschung (BMBF), FKZ: 01LL0919 . We also acknowledge the funding support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project #: 71333013 ). We are especially grateful to the Xishuangbanna biological industry office and local officials for facilitating the field survey of smallholder rubber farmers in Xishuangbanna.

PY - 2018/2

Y1 - 2018/2

N2 - The rapid expansion of natural rubber farming in southern China has led to negative environmental consequences, such as soil erosion and biodiversity loss. Therefore, local governments have made the restoration and protection of ecosystems a major policy issue. However, such efforts will only be successful if local communities participate. Using cross-sectional data on 612 smallholder rubber farmers in Xishuangbanna, this study investigates the willingness of smallholder rubber farmers to participate in ecosystem protection. We employ a multivariate probit regression model to estimate three ways of participating in environmental protection: (i) through monetary contributions of rubber farmers, (ii) by reducing rubber areas, and (iii) through the provision of free labor. The results show that most rubber farmers are willing to participate in local ecosystem protection. While wealthier households tend to participate by contributing money and providing free labor, poorer households prefer to reduce their rubber planting areas. Approximately 10% of the farmers believe that rubber cultivation has positive environmental effects and therefore abstain from participating in ecosystem protection measures. Our findings have important implications for policymakers who want to implement programs to restore and protect ecosystems in Xishuangbanna and other rubber planting regions in southern China.

AB - The rapid expansion of natural rubber farming in southern China has led to negative environmental consequences, such as soil erosion and biodiversity loss. Therefore, local governments have made the restoration and protection of ecosystems a major policy issue. However, such efforts will only be successful if local communities participate. Using cross-sectional data on 612 smallholder rubber farmers in Xishuangbanna, this study investigates the willingness of smallholder rubber farmers to participate in ecosystem protection. We employ a multivariate probit regression model to estimate three ways of participating in environmental protection: (i) through monetary contributions of rubber farmers, (ii) by reducing rubber areas, and (iii) through the provision of free labor. The results show that most rubber farmers are willing to participate in local ecosystem protection. While wealthier households tend to participate by contributing money and providing free labor, poorer households prefer to reduce their rubber planting areas. Approximately 10% of the farmers believe that rubber cultivation has positive environmental effects and therefore abstain from participating in ecosystem protection measures. Our findings have important implications for policymakers who want to implement programs to restore and protect ecosystems in Xishuangbanna and other rubber planting regions in southern China.

KW - Ecosystem

KW - Environmental awareness

KW - Household wealth

KW - Rubber farmer

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85035752807&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.forpol.2017.11.009

DO - 10.1016/j.forpol.2017.11.009

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85035752807

VL - 87

SP - 70

EP - 84

JO - Forest Policy and Economics

JF - Forest Policy and Economics

SN - 1389-9341

ER -