Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, 200092 Shanghai, China; Spatial Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; National Park and Natural Protected Area Planning Research Center, Key Laboratory of Ecology and Energy-saving Study of Dense Habitat, Ministry of Education, Tongji University, 200092 Shanghai, China.
University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Geography, 1832 Ellison Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4060, USA.
Sci Total Environ. 2020 Jul 20;727:138364. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138364. Epub 2020 Apr 3.
Resettlement of local people from protected areas (PAs) has been regarded as a preferred method to alleviate human disturbance and environmental pressure. Lack of knowledge about local communities' perceptions of resettlement, however, can lead to failed relocation projects and negative impacts on environmental sustainability and livelihoods. To better understand local communities' perception of relocation in PAs, we examine factors that affect local communities' willingness to relocate in Dashanbao Protected Area (DPA), an important location for conservation of the rare Black-necked Crane and the subject of a large-scale relocation policy in China. We surveyed 512 households in DPA and used multiple logistic regression to identify which factors predict local communities' willingness to relocate. Then, we examined how local communities' opinions of different payment for environmental services programs (PES) impacted their willingness to relocate. The results indicated that participation in a PES program for wetland conservation significantly decreases willingness, while distance from scenic spots and roads increases willingness. Furthermore, participants in the PES program for wetlands had a greater positive perception of the benefits from the DPA. Concern about a sustainable livelihood and loss of a sense of belonging represent the two main categories or 'clusters' of reasons explaining unwillingness to relocate. Our results suggest that prior experience with PES programs influences attitudes about relocation, and that integrating the perception of local communities into policy is important to the success of conservation programs relying on relocation. Managers and decision-makers could usefully consider the coupled relationships between sustainable livelihood strategies such as PES, attitudes toward relocation, and conservation benefits when working with communities in PAs toward enhanced livelihoods and conservation.
易地搬迁被认为是缓解人类干扰和环境压力的一种优选方法。然而，由于缺乏对当地社区对易地搬迁看法的了解，易地搬迁项目可能会失败，并对环境可持续性和生计产生负面影响。为了更好地了解当地社区对保护区易地搬迁的看法，我们研究了影响大山包保护区（DPA）当地社区搬迁意愿的因素，该保护区是保护珍稀黑颈鹤的重要地点，也是中国大规模易地搬迁政策的对象。我们对 DPA 中的 512 户家庭进行了调查，并使用多项逻辑回归来确定哪些因素可以预测当地社区搬迁的意愿。然后，我们研究了当地社区对不同的生态补偿政策（PES）方案的看法如何影响其搬迁意愿。结果表明，参与湿地保护的 PES 方案显著降低了搬迁意愿，而距离景点和道路的远近则会增加搬迁意愿。此外，参与湿地 PES 方案的参与者对保护区的利益有更大的积极看法。对可持续生计的担忧和归属感的丧失是解释不愿搬迁的两个主要类别或“集群”原因。我们的研究结果表明，先前参与 PES 方案的经验会影响对搬迁的态度，将当地社区的看法纳入政策对于依赖搬迁的保护项目的成功至关重要。管理者和决策者在与保护区社区合作时，可以考虑可持续生计策略（如 PES）、对搬迁的态度以及保护效益之间的耦合关系，以实现生计和保护的双赢。
