Why Agree to a Forest Easement? Perception of the Residents about the Adaptation of the Conservation Easement in Qianjiangyuan National Park

Conservation easements (CEs) were introduced in the Chinese context to resolve the conflict between rural land use and area-based conservation measures. As conservation easements are usually set on private lands, little is known about their adaptation to the collective land tenure. We introduced a social-psychological aspect to sustainable livelihoods (SL) for an integrated decision-making mechanism to assess rural residents' motivations for granting CEs. We surveyed farmers in the Qianjiangyuan National Park pilot area in order to explore how tangible factors, i.e., the livelihood assets, and intangible factors, i.e., farmers' perceptions of the livelihood environment, affected their true feeling of conservation easements. Results suggested that CEs that were adapted to the collectively-owned forestland followed a well-established grassroots democracy but sacrificed the CE's diversity in restricted uses tailored to specific landowners and properties. Institutional capital and perception of the economic environment appeared most important to affect farmers' acceptance of CEs. Furthermore, the livelihood assets affected farmers' perception of the livelihood environment, and their acceptance of CEs affected the perception of policy outcomes. Overall, our findings demonstrate the acceptance of conservation easements as a livelihood strategic choice and strengthen the importance of securing economic rights in the changing institutional environment.

Automated summary

Conservation easements (CEs) were introduced in China to address the conflict between rural land use and conservation measures. Little is known about the adaptation of CEs to collective land tenure. In our study, we integrated social-psychological aspects and sustainable livelihoods to assess rural residents' motivations for granting CEs. Results showed that institutional capital and perception of the economic environment were important factors affecting farmers' acceptance of CEs. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of economic rights in the changing institutional environment.