A survey on the local community willingness to participate in the cooperative management of nature reserve: A case of Snake Island-Laotie Mountain National Nature Reserve, China

Abstract

This paper investigated local resident and enterprise participation willingness in the management of Snake Island-Laotie Mountain National Nature Reserve (SILMNNR). The questionnaire is designed through examining local resident needs, and their behaviour, and knowledge of SILMNNR, and the willingness to participate (WTP) in the nature reserve management and its influencing factors. It is concluded that: a) the level of local community’s knowledge on SILMNNR is lower; b) increase of social progress and local resident income leads to plenty of environmental price, then, economic development becomes one of the factors effecting ecological deterioration; c) local residents would not be involved in the reserve management until their needs of “health”, “safety”, “housing” and “food and clothing” are satisfied; d) local resident and enterprise administrators’ attitude on ecological conservation are positive, but currently their level of environmental behaviour and the participation willingness is still low; e) main factors of influencing local groups’ WTP in the cooperative management are resident education, age, sex, and enterprise annual net income. Therefore, through understanding their needs and factors affecting their WTP, local community’s capability and level of participating in nature reserve cooperative management could be improved.