Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Multilevel analysis of factors affecting participants’ land reconversion willingness after the Grain for Green Program

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Ambio Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Understanding the postprogram land use plans of participants is necessary for the sustainability of the conservation achievements from payments for ecosystem services (PES) programs. Previous studies have analyzed many individual factors affecting participants’ reconversion plans after PES programs. However, whether the regional ecosystem services changes caused by PES programs affect reconversion willingness remains elusive. Here, we used the multilevel linear model to determine the effects of regional ecosystem services changes and individual characteristics on participants’ land reconversion willingness after the Grain for Green Program (GFGP) in the Yanhe watershed of the Loess Plateau. We found that household income, ecological awareness, and employment changes negatively affected reconversion willingness, while nonfarm employment positively affected it at the individual level. At the regional level, the grain production and water yield changes could influence the reconversion willingness of respondents with different individual characteristics. With improved understanding of the factors affecting reconversion willingness, several suggestions to improve the sustainability of the GFGP were proposed. Our study provides a template for analyzing the multilevel factors that affect the sustainability of other PES programs.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bryan, B.A., L. Gao, Y. Ye, X. Sun, J.D. Connor, N.D. Crossman, M. Stafford-Smith, J. Wu, et al. 2018. China’s response to a national land-system sustainability emergency. Nature 559: 193–204.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cao, S. 2011. Impact of China’s large-scale ecological restoration program on the environment and society in arid and semiarid areas of China: Achievements, problems, synthesis, and applications. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 41: 317–335.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cao, S., C. Xu, L. Chen, and X. Wang. 2009. Attitudes of farmers in China’s northern Shaanxi Province towards the land-use changes required under the Grain for Green Project, and implications for the project’s success. Land Use Policy 26: 1182–1194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, K.M., M.R. Shaw, D.R. Cameron, E.C. Underwood, and G.C. Daily. 2006. Conservation planning for ecosystem services. PLoS Biology 4: e379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, X., F. Lupi, G. He, and J. Liu. 2009a. Linking social norms to efficient conservation investment in payments for ecosystem services. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA 106: 11812–11817.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, X., F. Lupi, G. He, Z. Ouyang, and J. Liu. 2009b. Factors affecting land reconversion plans following a payment for ecosystem service program. Biological Conservation 142: 1740–1747.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, J.C., and C.T. Osborn. 1998. The effect of rental rates on the extension of conservation reserve program contracts. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 80: 184–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deng, J., W. Hao, W. Zhang, X. Han, K. Li, Y. Feng, and G. Yang. 2017. Exploring farmers’ pro-ecological intentions after ecological rehabilitation in a fragile environment area: A structural equation modeling approach. Sustainability 10: 29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deng, J., P. Sun, F. Zhao, X. Han, G. Yang, and Y. Feng. 2016. Analysis of the ecological conservation behavior of farmers in payment for ecosystem service programs in eco-environmentally fragile areas using social psychology models. Science of the Total Environment 550: 382–390.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foley, J.A., R. Defries, G.P. Asner, C. Barford, G. Bonan, S.R. Carpenter, F.S. Chapin, M.T. Coe, et al. 2005. Global consequences of land use. Science 309: 570–574.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, H. 2011. Multilevel statistical models. Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang, Q., D. Yin, C. He, J. Yan, Z. Liu, S. Meng, Q. Ren, R. Zhao, et al. 2020. Linking ecosystem services and subjective well-being in rapidly urbanizing watersheds: Insights from a multilevel linear model. Ecosystem Services 43: 101106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ingram, J.C., D. Wilkie, T. Clements, R.B. McNab, F. Nelson, E.H. Baur, H.T. Sachedina, D.D. Peterson, et al. 2014. Evidence of Payments for Ecosystem Services as a mechanism for supporting biodiversity conservation and rural livelihoods. Ecosystem Services 7: 10–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, P.N., S.K. Misra, and R.T. Ervin. 1997. A qualitative choice analysis of factors influencing post-CRP land use decisions. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 29: 163–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kang, S., L. Zhang, Y. Liang, X. Hu, H. Cai, and B. Gu. 2002. Effects of limited irrigation on yield and water use efficiency of winter wheat in the Loess Plateau of China. Agricultural Water Management 55: 203–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Q., and P. Zander. 2020. Resilience building of rural livelihoods in PES programmes: A case study in China’s Loess Hills. Ambio 49: 962–985. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01236-4.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J., S. Li, Z. Ouyang, C. Tam, and X. Chen. 2008. Ecological and socioeconomic effects of China’s policies for ecosystem services. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA 105: 9477–9482.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, Y., B. Fu, X. Feng, Y. Zeng, Y. Liu, R. Chang, G. Sun, and B. Wu. 2012. A policy-driven large scale ecological restoration: Quantifying ecosystem services changes in the Loess Plateau of China. PLoS ONE 7: e31782.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Newbold, T., L.N. Hudson, S.L.L. Hill, S. Contu, I. Lysenko, R.A. Senior, L. Börger, D.J. Bennett, et al. 2015. Global effects of land use on local terrestrial biodiversity. Nature 520: 45–50.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ouyang, Z., H. Zheng, Y. Xiao, S. Polasky, J. Liu, W. Xu, Q. Wang, L. Zhang, et al. 2016. Improvements in ecosystem services from investments in natural capital. Science 352: 1455.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Page, G., and B. Bellotti. 2015. Farmers value on-farm ecosystem services as important, but what are the impediments to participation in PES schemes? Science of the Total Environment 515–516: 12–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peng, J., X. Hu, X. Wang, J. Meersmans, Y. Liu, and S. Qiu. 2019. Simulating the impact of Grain-for-Green Programme on ecosystem services trade-offs in Northwestern Yunnan, China. Ecosystem Services 39: 100998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, M.J., and R.N. Lubowski. 2007. Enduring impacts of land retirement policies: Evidence from the Conservation Reserve Program. Land Economics 83: 516–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salzman, J., G. Bennett, N. Carroll, A. Goldstein, and M. Jenkins. 2018. The global status and trends of Payments for Ecosystem Services. Nature Sustainability 1: 136–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song, C., Y. Zhang, Y. Mei, H. Liu, Z. Zhang, Q. Zhang, T. Zha, K. Zhang, et al. 2014. Sustainability of forests created by China’s sloping land conversion program: A comparison among three sites in Anhui, Hubei and Shanxi. Forest Policy and Economics 38: 161–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song, X.-P., M.C. Hansen, S.V. Stehman, P.V. Potapov, A. Tyukavina, E.F. Vermote, and J.R. Townshend. 2018. Global land change from 1982 to 2016. Nature 560: 639–643.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Su, C., B. Fu, C. He, and Y. Lü. 2012. Variation of ecosystem services and human activities: A case study in the Yanhe Watershed of China. Acta Oecologica 44: 46–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tallis, H., P. Kareiva, M. Marvier, and A. Chang. 2008. An ecosystem services framework to support both practical conservation and economic development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA 105: 9457–9464.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Uchida, E., J. Xu, and S. Rozelle. 2005. Grain for green: Cost-effectiveness and sustainability of China’s conservation set-aside program. Land Economics 81: 247–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek, P.M., H.A. Mooney, J. Lubchenco, and J.M. Melillo. 1997. Human domination of earth’s ecosystems. Science 277: 494–499.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, F., S. Wang, B. Fu, and Y. Liu. 2019. Representation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in East Africa’s Protected Area Network. Ambio 49: 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01155-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, X., S. Wang, B. Fu, X. Feng, and Y. Chen. 2019a. Socio-ecological changes on the Loess Plateau of China after Grain to Green Program. Science of the Total Environment 678: 565–573.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, X., S. Wang, B. Fu, Y. Liu, and Y. Zhu. 2018. Land use optimization based on ecosystem service assessment: A case study in the Yanhe watershed. Land Use Policy 72: 303–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, X., S. Wang, B. Fu, Y. Zhao, and Y. Wei. 2019b. Pathways from payments for ecosystem services program to socioeconomic outcomes. Ecosystem Services 39: 101005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wunder, S., R. Brouwer, S. Engel, D. Ezzine-de-Blas, R. Muradian, U. Pascual, and R. Pinto. 2018. From principles to practice in paying for nature’s services. Nature Sustainability 1: 145–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, H., W. Yang, J. Zhang, T. Connor, and J. Liu. 2018. Revealing pathways from payments for ecosystem services to socioeconomic outcomes. Science Advances 4: eaao6652.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, W., and Q. Lu. 2018. Integrated evaluation of payments for ecosystem services programs in China: A systematic review. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability 4: 73–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, X., and J. Xu. 2014. Program sustainability and the determinants of farmers’ self-predicted post-program land use decisions: Evidence from the Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) in China. Environment and Development Economics 19: 30–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ye, Y., J.E. Zhang, B.A. Bryan, L. Gao, Z. Qin, L. Chen, and J. Yang. 2018. Impacts of rapid urbanization on ecosystem services along urban–rural gradients: A case study of the Guangzhou-Foshan Metropolitan Area, South China. Écoscience 25: 235–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R., C. Liu, M. Zhao, S. Yao, and H. Liu. 2014. The implementation and impacts of China’s largest payment for ecosystem services program as revealed by longitudinal household data. Land Use Policy 40: 45–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R., and G. Yin. 2010. China’s primary programs of terrestrial ecosystem restoration: Initiation, implementation, and challenges. Environmental Management 45: 429–441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan, Y., Y. Liu, Y.N. Hu, X. Chen, and J. Peng. 2017. Identification of non-economic influencing factors affecting farmer’s participation in the paddy land-to-dry land program in Chicheng County, China. Sustainability 9: 366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J., J. Niu, A. Buyantuev, and J. Wu. 2014. A multilevel analysis of effects of land use policy on land-cover change and local land use decisions. Journal of Arid Environments 108: 19–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, Z., B. Fu, and X. Feng. 2016. GIS-based analysis for hotspot identification of tradeoff between ecosystem services: A case study in Yanhe Basin, China. Chinese Geographical Science 26: 466–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41930649, 41722102).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People’s Republic of China

    Xutong Wu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 2871, Beijing, 100085, People’s Republic of China

    Xutong Wu & Bojie Fu

  3. State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China

    Shuai Wang & Bojie Fu

Authors
  1. Xutong Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shuai Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bojie Fu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bojie Fu.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wu, X., Wang, S. & Fu, B. Multilevel analysis of factors affecting participants’ land reconversion willingness after the Grain for Green Program. Ambio 50, 1394–1403 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-020-01475-w

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-020-01475-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation