Schoolchildren in China’s Protected Areas from a Sustainability Perspective: A Preliminary Study

Yicheng Wang, Peng Qin, Shimei Li and Ruidong Wu ()
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Yicheng Wang: College of Resources and Environment, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Peng Qin: College of Resources and Environment, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Shimei Li: College of Landscape Architecture and Forestry, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Ruidong Wu: Conservation Biogeography Research Group, Institute of International Rivers and Ecosecurity, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-12

Abstract: Protected areas (PAs) are an important estate for sustainable development. Children in PAs are of particular concern, as they are potential future stakeholders of this estate, yet they may be the ones affected the most by the conservation and development programs in PAs. However, knowledge on children in PAs has been very limited, which threatens the probability of the success of both nature conservation and sustainable development. In this paper, we present the findings from a questionnaire survey targeted at schoolchildren in China’s PAs. Our sample consisted of 41 primary schools across China. We looked at 22 indexes of the sample, inferred the conditions in the whole PAs using an exact binomial test, and compared them with those in other rural or urban areas in China. We found that schoolchildren in PAs are substantially disadvantaged in terms of many indexes, both in school and at home. We discuss possible reasons, link these results to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and discuss some policy implications. With this preliminary study, we hope to stimulate additional research on the conditions of children in PAs and their potential implications for sustainable development.

Keywords: protected areas; schoolchildren; school conditions; living conditions; child well-being; nature conservation; sustainable development; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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