IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i4p1852-d495891.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Environmental Awareness and Knowledge Affect Urban Residents’ Willingness to Participate in Rubber Plantation Ecological Restoration Programs: Evidence from Hainan, China

Author

Listed:
  • Yu Gan

    (Management School, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China)

  • Tao Xu

    (Management School, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China)

  • NengRui Xu

    (Management School, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China)

  • JiLv Xu

    (Management School, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China)

  • Dan Qiao

    (Management School, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China)

Abstract

The rapid expansion of rubber plantations in Asian countries has led to various environmental problems. Therefore, local governments are implementing rubber plantation ecological restoration (RPER) programs as an essential solution. However, such programs can be implemented only if residents are intensely involved. Based on a survey of 521 urban households in Hainan Province, China, this study investigates the effect of environmental awareness and knowledge on residents’ willingness to participate in RPER programs. We employ a double-hurdle (DH) model to estimate residents’ participation in two stages. First, we determine whether residents wish to participate or not (PN). Then, we measure residents’ degree of willingness to participate (DWP). The results show that residents’ environmental awareness has a significant positive effect on whether they wish to PN but has no impact on their DWP. By contrast, residents’ environmental knowledge has a significant positive effect on whether they wish to PN and their DWP. The moderating effect shows that residents’ environmental knowledge significantly weakens the positive effects of their environmental awareness on whether they wish to PN. Moreover, residents’ age, educational level, employment, and place of residence substantially influence their DWP. The findings in this study can provide useful insights for policymaking on improving rubber plantation ecosystems.

Suggested Citation

  • Yu Gan & Tao Xu & NengRui Xu & JiLv Xu & Dan Qiao, 2021. "How Environmental Awareness and Knowledge Affect Urban Residents’ Willingness to Participate in Rubber Plantation Ecological Restoration Programs: Evidence from Hainan, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:1852-:d:495891
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/1852/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/1852/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lu, Xun & White, Halbert, 2014. "Robustness checks and robustness tests in applied economics," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 178(P1), pages 194-206.
    2. Gkargkavouzi, Anastasia & Halkos, George & Matsiori, Steriani, 2019. "How do motives and knowledge relate to intention to perform environmental behavior? Assessing the mediating role of constraints," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 1-1.
    3. Rao, Elizaphan J.O. & Qaim, Matin, 2013. "Supermarkets and agricultural labor demand in Kenya: A gendered perspective," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 165-176.
    4. Tu, Zhengge & Hu, Tianyang & Shen, Renjun, 2019. "Evaluating public participation impact on environmental protection and ecological efficiency in China: Evidence from PITI disclosure," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 111-123.
    5. Kamonthip Maichum & Surakiat Parichatnon & Ke-Chung Peng, 2016. "Application of the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Model to Investigate Purchase Intention of Green Products among Thai Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-20, October.
    6. Min, Shi & Bai, Junfei & Huang, Jikun & Waibel, Hermann, 2018. "Willingness of smallholder rubber farmers to participate in ecosystem protection: Effects of household wealth and environmental awareness," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 70-84.
    7. Melindi-Ghidi, Paolo & Dedeurwaerdere, Tom & Fabbri, Giorgio, 2020. "Using environmental knowledge brokers to promote deep green agri-environment measures," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    8. Pothitou, Mary & Hanna, Richard F. & Chalvatzis, Konstantinos J., 2016. "Environmental knowledge, pro-environmental behaviour and energy savings in households: An empirical study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1217-1229.
    9. Zhiying Xu & William J. Burke & Thomas S. Jayne & Jones Govereh, 2009. "Do input subsidy programs “crowd in” or “crowd out” commercial market development? Modeling fertilizer demand in a two‐channel marketing system," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 40(1), pages 79-94, January.
    10. Eiswerth, Mark E. & Yen, Steven T. & van Kooten, G. Cornelis, 2011. "Factors determining awareness and knowledge of aquatic invasive species," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(9), pages 1672-1679, July.
    11. Dale Whittington, 2002. "Improving the Performance of Contingent Valuation Studies in Developing Countries," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 22(1), pages 323-367, June.
    12. Jeffrey M Wooldridge, 2010. "Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 2, volume 1, number 0262232588, December.
    13. Tao Xu & Qi Ni & Liu-yang Yao & Dan Qiao & Min-juan Zhao, 2020. "Public Preference Analysis and Social Benefits Evaluation of River Basin Ecological Restoration: Application of the Choice Experiments for the Shiyang River, China," Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, Hindawi, vol. 2020, pages 1-12, May.
    14. David Gadenne & Jessica Kennedy & Catherine McKeiver, 2009. "An Empirical Study of Environmental Awareness and Practices in SMEs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 84(1), pages 45-63, January.
    15. Faccioli, Michela & Czajkowski, Mikołaj & Glenk, Klaus & Martin-Ortega, Julia, 2020. "Environmental attitudes and place identity as determinants of preferences for ecosystem services," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    16. Ranran Yang & Ruyin Long, 2016. "Analysis of the Influencing Factors of the Public Willingness to Participate in Public Bicycle Projects and Intervention Strategies—A Case Study of Jiangsu Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-16, April.
    17. Loomis, John & Kent, Paula & Strange, Liz & Fausch, Kurt & Covich, Alan, 2000. "Measuring the total economic value of restoring ecosystem services in an impaired river basin: results from a contingent valuation survey," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 103-117, April.
    18. Solomon, Barry D. & Johnson, Nicholas H., 2009. "Valuing climate protection through willingness to pay for biomass ethanol," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 2137-2144, May.
    19. Bassi, Ivana & Gori, Enrico & Iseppi, Luca, 2019. "Assessing environmental awareness towards protection of the Alps: a case study," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    20. Shan Ma & Scott M. Swinton & Frank Lupi & Christina Jolejole-Foreman, 2012. "Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in Payment-for-Environmental-Services Programmes," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(3), pages 604-626, September.
    21. Sardana, Kavita, 2019. "Tourists' Willingness to Pay for Restoration of Traditional Agro-forest Ecosystems Providing Biodiversity: Evidence from India," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 362-372.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Enzo Ferrari & Fernando Martínez-Abad & Camilo Ruiz, 2022. "Examining the Relationship between the Dimensions of the Climate-Change Competence (C3): Testing for Mediation and Moderation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-16, February.
    2. Jingpeng Chen & Desheng Zhang & Zhi Chen & Zhijian Li & Zigong Cai, 2022. "Effect of Agricultural Social Services on Green Production of Natural Rubber: Evidence from Hainan, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-16, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Saeid Karimi & Genovaitė Liobikienė & Heshmatollah Saadi & Fatemeh Sepahvand, 2021. "The Influence of Media Usage on Iranian Students’ Pro-Environmental Behaviors: An Application of the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-19, July.
    2. Nicole M. Mason & Thomas S. Jayne & Nicolas van de Walle, 2017. "The Political Economy of Fertilizer Subsidy Programs in Africa: Evidence from Zambia," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 99(3), pages 705-731.
    3. Fujimoto, Takefumi & Suzuki, Aya, 2021. "Do Fertilizer and Seed Subsidies Strengthen Farmers' Market Participation? the Impact of Tanzania NAIVS on Farmers' Purchase of Agricultural Inputs and Their Maize-Selling Activities," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315044, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob & Jones, Michael, 2015. "Does storage technology affect adoption of improved maize varieties in Africa? Insights from Malawi’s input subsidy program," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 92-105.
    5. Gupta, Monika, 2016. "Willingness to pay for carbon tax: A study of Indian road passenger transport," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 46-54.
    6. Lopez-Feldman, Alejandro, 2012. "Introduction to contingent valuation using Stata," MPRA Paper 41018, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Yifei Zhu & Keshav Lall Maharjan, 2023. "Does Participation in the “Grain for Green Program” Change the Status of Rural Men and Women? An Empirical Study of Northeast China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-20, November.
    8. Yifei Zhang & Sheng Li & Fang Zhang, 2020. "Does an Emissions Trading Policy Improve Environmental Efficiency? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-16, March.
    9. Arne Henningsen & Guy Low & David Wuepper & Tobias Dalhaus & Hugo Storm & Dagim Belay & Stefan Hirsch, 2024. "Estimating Causal Effects with Observational Data: Guidelines for Agricultural and Applied Economists," IFRO Working Paper 2024/03, University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics.
    10. Jongwoo Kim & Nicole M. Mason & David Mather & Felicia Wu, 2021. "The effects of the national agricultural input voucher scheme (NAIVS) on sustainable intensification of maize production in Tanzania," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(3), pages 857-877, September.
    11. Nicole M. Mason & Thomas S. Jayne, 2014. "Fertiliser subsidies and smallholder commercial fertiliser purchases: crowding out, leakage, and policy implications for Zambia," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(2), pages 527-528, June.
    12. Negash, Martha, 2015. "Drivers of bioenergy crop adoption: evidence from Ethiopia's castor bean contract farming," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 230226, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    13. Prof Clem Tisdell & R. Bandara, 2003. "Does The Economic Value Of The Asian Elephant To Urban Dwellers Exceed Their Cost To The Farmers? A Sri Lankan Study," Discussion Papers Series 325, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    14. Ogutu, Sylvester Ochieng & Ochieng, Dennis O. & Qaim, Matin, 2020. "Supermarket contracts and smallholder farmers: Implications for income and multidimensional poverty," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    15. Ochieng, Dennis O. & Ogutu, Sylvester O., 2022. "Supermarket contracts, opportunity cost and trade-offs, and farm household welfare: Panel data evidence from Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    16. Ngouhouo Poufoun, Jonas & Abildtrup, Jens & Sonwa, Dénis Jean & Delacote, Philippe, 2016. "The value of endangered forest elephants to local communities in a transboundary conservation landscape," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 70-86.
    17. Wenqing Zhang & Biao Luo, 2023. "Predicting consumer intention toward eco-friendly smart home services: extending the theory of planned behavior," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 56(5), pages 3335-3352, October.
    18. Shahzad Kouser & David J Spielman & Matin Qaim, 2019. "Transgenic cotton and farmers’ health in Pakistan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(10), pages 1-19, October.
    19. Hayatullah Ahmadzai, 2018. "Factor market participation and tests for separability in Afghanistan," Discussion Papers 2018-10, University of Nottingham, CREDIT.
    20. Depenbusch, Lutz, "undated". "Gender Price Gaps in Central Kenyan Vegetable Wet Markets," GlobalFood Discussion Papers 264021, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, GlobalFood, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:1852-:d:495891. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.