Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Factors Influencing Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in the Conversion of Cultivated Land to Wetland Program in Sanjiang National Nature Reserve, China

  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sanjiang National Nature Reserve (NNR) is a state-owned natural wetland in China that has suffered severe degradation due to cultivation and wetland reclamation by farmers. As a consequence, the conversion of cultivated land to wetlands (CCW) was proposed by the government of Heilongjiang province and the United Nations Development Programme/Global Environment Facility (UNDP/GEF) project team in 2007. We suggest that voluntary participation in the CCW could be an important tool for accomplishing the integrated objectives of wetland conservation and local development. The purpose of this study was to examine the main factors that influence farmers’ willingness to participate in the CCW through a field investigation and a questionnaire. Based on the data from our questionnaire, which provided an effective sample of 310 households in 11 villages, the influencing factors of farmers’ willingness to participate were analyzed through binary logistic regression analyses. It was concluded that age, education, the amount of cultivated land, geographical location, and the perceived benefits and risks were important factors for participation. Furthermore, suggestions for improving the wetland compensation system and providing alternative livelihoods are proposed to strengthen participation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbot JIO, Thomas DHL, Gardner AA, Neba SE, Khen MW (2001) Understanding the links between conservation and development in the Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon. World Development 29:1115–1136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adeel Z, Safriel U (2008) Achieving sustainability by introducing alternative livelihoods. Sustainability Science 3:125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen I, Fishbein M (1980) Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambastha K, Hussain SA, Badola R (2007) Resource dependence and attitudes of local people toward conservation of Kabartal wetland: a case study from the Indo-Gangetic plains. Wetlands Ecological Management 15:287–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ando AW, Getzner M (2006) The roles of ownership, ecology, and economics in public wetland-conservation decisions. Ecological Economics 58:287–303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antunes P, Santos R, Videira N (2006) Participatory decision making for sustainable development—the use of mediated modelling techniques. Land Use Policy 23:44–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arjunan M, Holmes C, Puyravaud J-P, Davidar P (2006) Do developmental initiatives influence local attitudes toward conservation? A case study from the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, India. Journal of Environmental Management 79:188–197

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Berkes F (2004) Rethinking community-based conservation. Conservation Biology 18:621–630

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bramwell B, Sharman A (1999) Collaboration in local tourism policymaking. Annals of Tourism Research 26:392–415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brandon KE, Wells M (1992) Planning for people and parks: design dilemmas. World Development 20:557–570

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charnley S, Engelbert B (2005) Evaluating public participation in environmental decision-making: EPA’s superfund community involvement program. Journal of Environmental Management 77:165–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen W (1996) Conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. Bulletin of Biology 31:1–4

    Google Scholar 

  • Christopoulou O, Tsachalidis E (2004) Conservation policies for protected areas (wetlands) in Greece: a survey of local residents’ attitude. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution: Focus 4:445–457

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cihar M, Stankova J (2006) Attitudes of stakeholders towards the Podyji/Thaya River Basin National Park in the Czech Republic. Journal of Environmental Management 81:273–285

    Google Scholar 

  • Crépin A-S (2005) Incentives for wetland creation. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 50:598–616

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui BS, Liu XT (1999) Ecological character changes and sustainability management of wetland in the Sanjiang Plain. Areal Research and Development 18:45–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Cullington J (1981) The public use of private land for recreation. M.A. Thesis, Waterloo University, Waterloo

  • Dickinson F, Viga D, Lizarraga I, Castillo T (2006) Collaboration and conflict in an applied human ecology project in coastal Yucatan, Mexico. Landscape and Urban Planning 74:204–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolisca F, Carter DR, McDaniel JM, Shannon DA, Jolly CM (2006) Factors influencing farmers’ participation in forestry management programs: a case study from Haiti. Forest Ecology and Management 236:324–331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farmar-Bowers Q, Lane R (2009) Understanding farmers’ strategic decision-making processes and the implications for biodiversity conservation policy. Journal of Environmental Management 90:1135–1144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Getzner M (2002) Investigating public decisions about protecting wetlands. Journal of Environmental Management 64:237–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goosen H, Janssen R, Vermaat JE (2007) Decision support for participatory wetland decision-making. Ecological Engineering 30:187–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herath G (2004) Incorporating community objectives in improved wetland management: the use of the analytic hierarchy process. Journal of Environmental Management 70:263–273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hudson S, Ritchie JRB (2001) Cross-cultural tourist behavior: an analysis of tourist attitudes towards the environment. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 10:1–22

    Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (1987) Directory of wetlands of international importance. IUCN, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Johst K, Drechsler M, Wätzold F (2002) An ecological-economic modelling procedure to design compensation payments for the efficient spatio-temporal allocation of species protection measures. Ecological Economics 41:37–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser FG, Gutscher H (2003) The proposition of a general version of the theory of planned behavior: predicting ecological behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 33:586–603

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser FG, Wolfing S, Fuhrer U (1999) Environmental attitude and ecological behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology 19:1–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim S, Littrell MA (1999) Predicting souvenir purchase intentions. Journal of Travel Research 38:153–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim GN, Kim EJ, Son D, Bacala A, Imlay R et al (1988) Experimental mass limit for a 4th-generation sequential lepton from E+E- annihilations at square-root-S=56 Gev. Physical Review Letters 61:911–914

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lepp A (2007) Residents’ attitudes towards tourism in Bigodi village, Uganda. Tourism Management 28:876–885

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li W (2008) Evaluation of dependence degree of adjacent communities’ economy on resources of the Baiyangdian Reserve. Beijing Forestry University, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Li YC, Liu CM, Yu JJ (2006) Tradeoff of conflict between wetlands protection and farmland reclamation in the Sanjiang Plain, Heilongjiang Province. Journal of Beijing Forestry University 28:39–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu XT (2005) Wetlands in Northeast China. Science Press, Beijing, pp 23–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu XG (2004) Conservation and management of wetland systems. Chemical Industry Press, Beijing, pp 25–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu XG (2009) Types, distributions and functions of wetlands in China. Landscape Design 2:10–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma Z (2010) Ecologcial compensation and ecological security in China. Accessed 4 Aug 2010. http://www.wetwonder.org/news_show.asp?id=2023

  • Ma H, Lu Y, Xing Y, He G, Sun Y (2009) Rural households’ attitude and economic strategies toward the conversion of cropland to forest and grassland program (CCFG): a case study in Qira, China. Environmental Management 43:1039–1047

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mbile P, Vabi M, Meboka M, Okon D, Arrey-Mbo J et al (2005) Linking management and livelihood in environmental conservation: case of the Korup National Park Cameroon. Journal of Environmental Management 76:1–13

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McKenzie-Mohr D, Nemiroff LS, Beers L, Desmarais S (1995) Determinants of responsible environmental behavior. Journal of Social Issues 51:139–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: wetlands and water synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris J, Gowing DJG, Mills J, Dunderdale JAL (2000) Reconciling agricultural economic and environmental objectives: the case of recreating wetlands in the Fenland area of eastern England. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 79:245–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nepala SK, Webera KE (1994) A buffer zone for biodiversity conservation: viability of the concept in Nepal’s Royal Chitwan National Park. Environmental Conservation 21:333–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pan H, Le TC, Luo CL, Tan FL, Chen GY et al (2006) Investigation of dependence degree of adjacent communities’ economy on resources of the Zhangjiangkou Mangrove Forestry National Nature Reserve. Wetland Science 4:74–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker I (1982) Conservation, realism, and the future. In: Owen-Smith RN (ed) Management of large mammals in African conservation areas. Proceedings of a symposium held in Pretoria, South Africa. HAUM, Pretoria, pp 281–290

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearsell G, Mulamoottil G (1994) Wetland boundary and land use planning in southern Ontario, Canada. Environmental Management 18:865–870

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salam MA, Noguchi T, Koike M (2005) Factors influencing the sustained participation of farmers in participatory forestry: a case study in central Sal forests in Bangladesh. Journal of Environmental Management 74:43–51

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanjiang NNR (2007) Planning on conversion of cultivated land to wetlands in Sanjiang Nature Reserve. Sanjiang NNR, Fuyuan county, China

    Google Scholar 

  • Söderqvist T (2003) Are farmers prosocial? Determinants of the willingness to participate in a Swedish catchment-based wetland creation programme. Ecological Economics 47:105–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stone K, Bhat M, Bhatta R, Mathews A (2008) Factors influencing community participation in mangroves restoration: a contingent valuation analysis. Ocean & Coastal Management 51:476–484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Streever WJ, Callaghan-Perry M, Searles A, Stevens T, Svoboda P (1998) Public attitudes and values for wetland conservation in New South Wales, Australia. Journal of Environmental Management 54:1–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Studsrod JE, Wegge P (1995) Park–people relationships—the case of damage caused by park animals around the Royal-Bardia-National-Park, Nepal. Environmental Conservation 22:133–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner RK, van den Bergh JCJM, Söderqvist T, Barendregt A, van der Straaten J et al (2000) Ecological-economic analysis of wetlands: scientific integration for management and policy. Ecological Economics 35:7–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Udaya Sekhar N (2003) Local people’s attitudes towards conservation and wildlife tourism around Sariska Tiger Reserve, India. Journal of Environmental Management 69:339–347

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang XL, Li XZ (1997) Advances in wetlands’ researches. Chinese Journal of Ecology 16:58–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang RQ, Liu CH (1997) The trend of wetland conservation and wetland research in the worldwide based on the 5th International Wetlands Conference. Chinese Journal of Ecology 16:72–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang YY, Sheng LX (2005) Outlook for international wetland ecology research: the 7th INTECOL international wetlands conference and its inspirations on China. Geography and Geo-information Science 21:56–59

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang LB, Jin LS, Cheng SX, Li XY (2008) Conservation and alternative livelihoods: study on the Sanjiang Plain Wetlands. Social Science Press, Beijing, China, pp 18–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Wattage P, Mardle S (2005) Stakeholder preferences towards conservation versus development for a wetland in Sri Lanka. Journal of Environmental Management 77:122–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Conservation Union (1980) World conservation strategy: living resource conservation for sustainable development. Gland, Switzerland

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiang W (2006) Cost of ecological restoration in the farming-pastoral zone of Northern China. Journal of Natural Resources 21:92–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie Y, Wang S, Schei P (2004) China’s protected areas. Tsinghua University Press, Beijing, 604 pp

  • Yu H, Littrel MA (2005) Tourists’shopping orientations for handcrafts: what are key influences? Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing 18:1–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang YZ, Wang X (2001) A review of ecological restoration studies on natural wetlands. Acta Ecologica Sinica 21:309–311

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang CL, Liu JB, Tong L (2007) Protection and sustainable utilization of wetland on different spatial scale. Resource Science 29:133–135

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang CL, Tong LJ, Liu JB (2008) Evaluation of coordinated development of arable land and wetlands in Saijiang reserve. Scientia Geographica Sinica 28:343–347

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao SC (2005) Wetland degradation, protection and restoration in China—science discussion in Xiangshan Mountain. Advances in Earth Science 20:702–703

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou ZQ, Liu T (2005) The current status, threats and protection way of Sanjiang plain wetlands, Northeast China. Journal of Forestry Research 16:148–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the program of UNDP-GEF-Government of China, National Natural Science Foundation (40901065) and National Natural Science Foundation (41001110). The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of K.C.Wong Education Foundation, Hong Kong and help from Institute of Environmental Studies, the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 3195 Weishan Road, Changchun, 130012, People’s Republic of China

    Chunli Zhang, Xiaohui Liu & Lianjun Tong

  2. Institute of Environmental Studies, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Daniel Robinson

  3. Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China

    Jing Wang & Jibin Liu

Authors
  1. Chunli Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Daniel Robinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jing Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jibin Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Xiaohui Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Lianjun Tong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chunli Zhang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, C., Robinson, D., Wang, J. et al. Factors Influencing Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in the Conversion of Cultivated Land to Wetland Program in Sanjiang National Nature Reserve, China. Environmental Management 47, 107–120 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9586-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9586-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation