The legacy of fortress approaches to conservation: Impact of early-life experiences on contemporary natural resource use in Giant Panda Nature reserves, China

The natural resource utilization behavior of rural households adjacent to nature reserves (NRs) critically determines the success of biodiversity conservation efforts. However, the enduring impacts of households' early experiences with NR establishment—particularly exposure to abrupt “fortress conservation” policies—on their subsequent resource use, and how these effects vary across generations based on their age during exposure, remain understudied in the scientific literature. This study addresses this gap by investigating how generational exposure to NR establishment shapes contemporary resource use heterogeneity. Based on surveys of 449 rural households conducted in 17 NRs across Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces, China, this study used the double hurdle model to estimate the empirical model. The results reveal striking generational disparities: household heads who were adults or adolescents during NR establishment exhibit significantly higher natural resource extraction intensity compared to those who were infants/children at the time. Mechanistic analysis showed that adults/adolescents exposed to fortress conservation develop persistent negative attitudes toward NR management and maintain weaker linkages with NR authorities. By demonstrating how historical policy shocks create path-dependent behaviors through generational memory, this study challenges static models of resource use. It underscores the urgency of adopting inclusive policies to reduce the contradiction between conservation and development.