Local perspectives on social-ecological transformation: China’s Sanjiangyuan National Park

Ting Ma (), Brent Swallow (), Linsheng Zhong (), Kun Xu (), Weiguo Sang () and Lizhi Jia
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Ting Ma: Minzu University of China
Brent Swallow: University of Alberta
Linsheng Zhong: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Kun Xu: University of Alberta
Weiguo Sang: Minzu University of China
Lizhi Jia: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2024, vol. 26, issue 1, No 74, 1809-1829

Abstract: Abstract Change is an inevitable part of rural livelihoods. While natural disasters can trigger sudden challenges to resilience, long-term shifts in government-related socio-ecological transformation policies can pose even greater challenges to the well-being of rural households and communities. We identified and characterized the socio-ecological transformations generated by the Chinese central government’s ‘ecological civilization construction’ policy, culminating with the creation of Sanjiangyuan National Park, and analyzed the heterogeneity of household responses to these transformations. We take a mixed-method approach that is derived from Ostrom’s (2007) socio-ecological systems framework, calibrated to local residents’ self-assessments of their household well-being. Our results support three policy-relevant conclusions. First, government efforts to re-settle survivors of the 2010 Yushu earthquake appear to be well appreciated by the affected populations. Second, residents’ perceptions of their economic well-being depend upon their ability to augment government payments with income generated from natural products, particularly harvesting of Chongcao (Cordyceps militaris) and cattle grazing. Third, women and older residents tend to be more skeptical of government and demonstrate lower perceptions of their own economic and health status. We conclude that a successful socio-ecological transformation as envisaged by the “ecological civilization” paradigm requires a balance of government regulation, compensation, and sustainable access to environmental resources by the affected populations.

Keywords: Environmental resources; Conservation policy; Ecological civilization; Mixed methods; Rural livelihoods; Policy analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10668-022-02786-6

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