Assessing citizens' willingness for participatory forest management planning: A case study in the Czech Republic

Abstract

This study investigated the willingness of citizens in the Czech Republic to engage in participatory forest management planning using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as its conceptual framework. The research design integrated quantitative and qualitative components to comprehensively examine attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intentions related to participatory forest management planning among citizens. A diverse sample of 502 respondents was purposively selected to ensure representation across various demographic variables, including age, gender, education, occupation, residence, income, forestry-related background, and forest ownership inquiry. Data were processed using Microsoft Excel and RStudio, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed using the Covariance-Based approach (CB-SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships. The estimates of the structural model indicated that all three TPB constructs positively and significantly influenced behavioral intention. The research findings indicated that the TPB explains 75.1 % of the variance in citizens' behavioral intentions to engage in participatory forest management planning. These findings underscore the multi-dimensional influences on citizens' intentions to participate in forest management planning, with attitudes, social norms, and perceived control all playing pivotal roles. The research provides valuable insights for policymakers and forest management practitioners in developing strategies that enhance citizen engagement in sustainable forest management planning.