Conflict between nature reserves and surrounding communities in China: An empirical study based on a social and ecological system framework

Abstract

The conflicts between nature reserves and surrounding communities are attracting growing attention. These conflicts, through complexities of resource, socio-economic, and governance conditions, are produced through interactive processes. We report a case study of Taibai Mountain National Nature Reserve in Shaanxi, China, where we employ Ostrom's Social and Ecological System framework and conflict theory, in context of a high motivation of investment in rural China. The results reveal that social and ecological systems in each of the three examined villages were varied with respect to natural resource systems and units, actors, governance, and degrees of reserve-village conflicts. The competing interests of using reserve resources for both conservation and tourism generated a high level of conflict in Hetaoping Village. Changhushan village showed low levels of conflict. This was due to a polycentric governance system with strong self-organization and networking processes, along with well-planned investment and rational harvesting of natural resources outside the nature reserve. This allowed Changhushan to utilize their resources in multiple ways, with relatively lower conflict. Dali village had medium level of conflict. Upon the reserve's creation, the government had included the village's forest within the reserve without feasible economic compensation or effective means of conflict resolution. These decisions have severely limited the capacity of the current nature reserve administration. Our study indicated that nature reserves and their surrounding villages could coexist well when polycentric governance played roles in both curbing emerging conflicts and solving existing ones. We discuss policy implications to foster environmentally friendly economies and polycentric governance for all village's social and ecological systems.