Journal of Forest Economics > Vol 36 > Issue 1-2

How Does Wildlife Damage Change Farmers’ Production Behavior? A Case Study of China’s Giant Panda Reserves

Yi Li, South China Agricultural University, China, Ziqiang Zhang, Guizhou University, China, 532959728@qq.com , Jiesheng Ke, South China Agricultural University, China, Lan Gao, South China Agricultural University, China
 
Suggested Citation
Yi Li, Ziqiang Zhang, Jiesheng Ke and Lan Gao (2021), "How Does Wildlife Damage Change Farmers’ Production Behavior? A Case Study of China’s Giant Panda Reserves", Journal of Forest Economics: Vol. 36: No. 1-2, pp 161-181. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/112.00000530

Publication Date: 10 Feb 2021
© 2021 Y. Li, Z. Zhang, J. Ke and L. Gao
 
Subjects
 
Keywords
Wildlife damagefarmers’ behaviorcrop cultivationlabor allocation
 

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In this article:
1. Introduction 
2. China’s Situation 
3. Objectives 
4. Study Area 
5. Data 
6. Model 
7. Results 
8. Main Conclusions 
9. Policy Implications 
References 

Abstract

In this study, we examine the impact of damage caused by wildlife on farmers’ production behavior and analyze the livelihood options when they face the loss. Our research area comprises 51 villages surrounding 14 giant panda reserves in China. Based on a questionnaire survey of 787 households, a linear regression model was used to analyze the changes of farmers’ production behavior in 2018 due to wildlife damage. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) as the risk of wildlife damage increases, farmers have to abandon some of the heavily damaged lands, which are expected to produce very low profits; (2) although the farmer’s labor and capital input per unit area of the remaining land increased, the total farming time decreased due to the reduction of the cultivated land area; (3) the labor time that farmers released was partially allocated to livestock raising. There is a large heterogeneity in the livelihood selection behavior of farmers. In view of this, this article suggests that in order to protect farmland resources and farmers’ livelihoods, the government should implement compensation or promote agricultural insurance so that farmers have a stable profit expectation for their farming activities.

DOI:10.1561/112.00000530

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Journal of Forest Economics, Volume 36, Issue 1-2 Special issue - Nature Conservation: Articles Overiew
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