Rural household income distribution and inequality in China: Effects of payments for ecosystem services policies and other factors

Payments for ecosystem services programs: A global review of contributions towards sustainability

Payments for ecosystem services programs (PESPs) are increasingly being adopted globally to enhance sustainability outcomes. There are also hundreds of studies yearly on various aspects of PESPs, but research on their contributions to sustainability of communities and the ecosystems they depend upon at the global scale are rare. Our global review explores twelve key characteristics of PESPs at three different phases (inputs - implementation - outputs and outcomes) and their relationship types of these characteristics to sustainability outcomes. To do so, we review 376 peer-review journal articles on PESPs, and test three hypotheses related to these relationships. Our findings confirm that the relationships between each of these characteristics and sustainability outcomes are bidirectional and/or multidirectional to some extent and can be positive, negative or both, depending on specific cases and research methods used to study these relationships. The findings also disclose that separating one characteristic as the primary causal factor in any relationship or outcome is not easy as relevant characteristics are linked in a complex network. Thereby, determining key characteristics of PESPs that drive relationships for the sake of sustainability is important. Through analyzing relationships between PESP characteristics, this study offers a series of suggestions to further aid the contributions of PESPs' contributions to sustainability in the future.

Understanding the mediating role of labor out-migration in household income generation and distribution under a reforestation policy in rural China

Income inequality is a critical issue of socio-economic development, particularly in rural areas where forest-dependent people are often vulnerable to the intervention of forest policies. This paper aims to elucidate income distribution and inequality of rural households influenced by China's largest reforestation policy implemented in early 2000s. Drawing on socioeconomic and demographic data from household surveys in two rural sites, we applied the Gini coefficient to measure income inequality and used a regression-based approach to examine the underlying factors that are associated with income generation among households. We also performed a mediation analysis to test the role of labor out-migration in shaping household income distribution under the reforestation policy. Results show that remittances sent by rural out-migrants substantially contribute to household income but tend to worsen inequality, particularly for households having retired cropland for reforestation. The inequality in total income depends on capital accumulation for land endowment and labor availability that render diversified livelihoods possible. Such linkage reveals regional disparity, which, along with policy-implementing institutions (e.g., rules for tree species choice for reforestation), can influence income generation from a given source (e.g., agriculture). Rural out-migration of female labor significantly mediates the economic benefits of the policy delivered to the households with an estimated mediating share of 11.7%. These findings add value to the knowledge of poverty-environment interrelationships in a sense that supporting rural livelihoods of the more vulnerable and underrepresented groups is essential for securing and sustaining the stewardship of forests. Policymaking for such forest restoration programs needs to integrate strategies for targeted or precise poverty alleviation to strengthen the conservation effectiveness.

Exploring preference and willingness for rural water pollution control: A choice experiment approach incorporating extended theory of planned behaviour

Rural water pollution control (RWPC) is a crucial issue for developing countries, particularly because of its importance for improving ecosystems, promoting sustainable development, and ultimately contributing to the health and well-being of individuals. This study adopted a choice experiment (CE) to explore farmers' preference and willingness for RWPC and to investigate whether socioeconomic and psychosocial factors can explain differences in farmers' preferences and values governing RWPC. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and some additional constructs (risk perception, knowledge, moral norms, and subjective norms) were included in an empirical test that predicts stated choices. The Wei River basin, one of the most water-polluted areas in China, was used as the location for our study. From June to July 2022, we collected the questionnaire responses of 427 farmers who live and work in this area. The results suggested that farmers have significant heterogeneity in their preference for RWPC attributes, but the majority highly value improving water quality through water pollution treatment. The inclusion of TPB and additional constructs in our test explained the behaviour of farmers. Those with high scores tended to already perform RWPC and have a willingness to continue to do so. According to the results of a latent class (LC) model, the average willingness to pay (WTP) per farmer for rural water pollution treatment was 254.69 Chinese yuan (CNY) per year. Excluding biodiversity, the average WTP was 241.55 CNY per year. This study provides a new path for developing countries to promote RWPC and improve local rural environments and the well-being of rural residents.

Eco-compensation in China: achievement, experience, and improvement

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) provide innovative solutions for global environmental governance. China, the largest developing country, always faces severe ecological and environmental problems. China created an eco-compensation mechanism that combines the PES mechanism with the government's standardized management, which has achieved remarkable results. Government-led, social participation, and market-oriented operation are its main characteristics. More importantly, the mechanism helps China achieve its anti-poverty goals. Part of its experiences has been transformed into formal institutions, i.e., farmland fallow and rotation policies. However, some problems have also plagued further development, such as the lack of environmental property rights, the single source of funds, and the shortage of standardized ecological value assessment technology. We suggest that it is necessary to improve the stability of China's eco-compensation mechanism. The achievement of China's eco-compensation mechanism provides helpful guidance for other developing countries. For example, it is enhancing the role of government administrative power and the flexibility of the system through the policy "sandbox," i.e., the policy pilot, encouraging the participation of multi-stakeholder groups, and so on. Last but most important, the policy and institutions must be closely integrated with the nation's state for it to be sustainable.

Landscape Impacts on Ecosystem Service Values Using the Image Fusion Approach

The landscape is a complex mosaic of physical and biological patches with infrastructures, cultivable lands, protected ecosystems, water bodies, and many other landforms. Varying land-use changes are vulnerable to the world and need the mitigation and management of landforms to achieve sustainable development, which without proper oversight, may lead to habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation. In this study, we quantify the land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes using downscaled satellite imagery and assess their effects on ecosystem services (ES) and economic values in Ningxia Province, China. Various landscape metrics are derived to study the pattern and spatial configuration over 15 years (2005–2020), in which the landscapes are evolving. The impact of LULC change in various ES is analyzed using ecosystem service values (ESV) and validated with a sensitivity index. Finally, the level of urban sprawl (US) due to overpopulation is established using Renyi’s entropy. Using Landsat 8′s Operational Land Imager (OLI) datasets, we downscaled the MODIS data of 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 to prepare the LULC map through a rotation forest algorithm. Results demonstrate that water bodies, woodlands, and built-up landscapes increased in their spatial distribution over time and that there was a decrease in farmlands. Results further suggest that the connectivity and uniformity of the landscape pattern improved in the later period due to several plans formulated by the government with a slight improvement in landscape diversity. Overall ESV get improved, while LULC classes such as farmland and water bodies have decreased and increased ESV, respectively, and a sensitivity analysis is used to test the reliability of ESV on LULC classes. The level of US is 0.91 in terms of Renyi’s entropy, which reveals the presence of a dispersion of settlements in urban fringes. The simulated US for 2025 shows urbanization is more severe over a prolonged time and finally the impacts of the US in ESV are analyzed. Using an interdisciplinary approach, several recommendations are formulated to maintain the ESV despite rapid LULC changes and to achieve sustainable development globally.

Does agro-ecological efficiency contribute to poverty alleviation? An empirical study based on panel data regression

Worldwide degradation of the ecological environment could be the cause of poverty. The poverty-stricken areas may face the dilemma of a "vicious circle of poverty." The complex ecological conditions have intertwined with poverty alleviation, which makes the demand for ecological poverty alleviation particularly prominent in these areas. However, the research on the relationship between agro-ecological efficiency and poverty are limited. It is far from clear what is the impact of the agro-ecological efficiency on poverty. To explore the impact of agro-ecological efficiency on poverty reduction, we adopt the panel data model based on cross-correlation and regression coefficient, using the data from 25 counties/districts in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (TGRR) from 2006 to 2017. The results show that (1) there is significant heterogeneity in agro-ecological efficiency in the TGRR, and the agro-ecological efficiency in the middle area is significantly lower than that of the head and tail areas of the TGRR; (2) the improvement of regional agro-ecological efficiency could accelerate the alleviation of poverty; and (3) the widening of urban-rural income disparity is not conducive to poverty alleviation and eradication. This study would provide basis for further policy recommendations aimed at improving agro-ecological efficiency and alleviating poverty.

Exploring Factors Influencing Farmers' Continuance Intention to Crop Residue Retention: Evidence from Rural China

Over the past decade, crop residue burning after harvest is prevalent in developing countries. Promoting crop residue retention to replace residue burning is effective in improving air quality and contributing to the mitigation of global climate change. This study examines farmers’ continuance intention of crop residue retention, using the expectation confirmation model (ECM) and survey data from 542 rice farmers in Hubei Province, P.R. The results show that farmers’ perceived usefulness, confirmation, perceived ease of use, and satisfaction significantly have direct or indirect positive impacts on their continuance intention on adopting crop residue retention. In particular, perceived ease of use contributes the most. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use act as intermediaries in the relationship between confirmation and farmers’ continuance intention to residue retention. This study provides a valuable governance reference and scientific basis for the government to adjust and improve existing policies, including how to stimulate farmers to continue to adopt agricultural waste treatment technologies such as residue retention.

Examining the effects of green revolution led agricultural expansion on net ecosystem service values in India using multiple valuation approaches

Ecosystem Services (ESs) are bundles of natural processes and functions that are essential for human well-being, subsistence, and livelihoods. The 'Green Revolution' (GR) has substantial impact on the agricultural landscape and ESs in India. However, the effects of GR on ESs have not been adequately documented and analyzed. This leads to the main hypothesis of this work - 'the incremental trend of ESs in India is mainly prompted by GR led agricultural innovations that took place during 1960 - 1970'. The analysis was carried out through five successive steps. First, the spatiotemporal Ecosystem Service Values (ESVs) in Billion US$ for 1985, 1995, and 2005 were estimated using several value transfer approaches. Second, the sensitivity and elasticity of different ESs to land conversion were carried out using coefficient of sensitivity and coefficient of elasticity. Third, the Geographically Weighted Regression model was performed using five explanatory factors, i.e., total crop area, crop production, crop yield, net irrigated area, and cropping intensity, to explore the cumulative and individual effects of these driving factors on ESVs. Fourth, Multi-Layer Perceptron based Artificial Neural Network was employed to estimate the normalized importance of these explanatory factors. Fifth, simple and multiple linear regression modeling was done to assess the linear associations between the driving factors and the ESs. During the observation periods, cropland, forestland and water bodies contributed to 80%-90% of ESVs, followed by grassland, mangrove, wetland and urban built-up. In all three evaluation years, the highest estimated ESVs among the nine ES categories was provided by water regulation, followed by soil formation and soil-water retention, biodiversity maintenance, waste treatment, climate regulation, and greenhouse gas regulation. Among the five explanatory factors, total crop area, crop production, and net irrigated area showed strong positive associations with ESVs, while cropping intensity exhibited a negative association. Therefore, the study reveals a strong association between GR led agricultural expansion and ESVs in India. This study suggests that there should be an urgent need for formulation of rigorous ecosystem management strategies and policies to preserve ecological integrity and flow of uninterrupted ESs and to sustain human well-being.

Effects of payments for ecosystem services programs in China on rural household labor allocation and land use: Identifying complex pathways

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is increasingly used in developing countries to secure the sustainable provision of vital ecosystem services. The largest PES programs in the world are embedded in China's new forest policies, which aim to expand forest cover for soil and water conservation and improve livelihoods of rural people. The objective of this study is to identify the complex pathways of impacts of two PES programs - the Conversion of Cropland to Forest Program (CCFP) and the Ecological Welfare Forest Program (EWFP) - on household livelihood decisions, and to quantify the direct and indirect impacts along the identified pathways. We fulfill this objective by developing an integrated conceptual framework and applying a Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM), based on household survey data from Anhui, China. Labor allocation (for on-farm work, local paid work, local business, and out-migration) and land use decisions (i.e., rent in, maintain, rent out, or abandon cropland) for participating households are key to understand PES program effects on livelihoods. Results show that the PES programs have only small direct effects but significant indirect effects via the mediating factor of capital assets. Moreover, group heterogeneity analysis shows that lower-income households do not benefit any more than the better-off households from the PES, while households with medium wealth increase dependence on agriculture. In addition, household demographics, individual attributes, and geographic settings differ in their impacts on labor allocation and land use decisions. We conclude that CCFP and EWFP programs would be more efficient in conserving the environment while improving the economic welfare of lower-income households if capital assets were taken into account in the design of compensation schemes.

Integration of residents' experiences into economic planning process of coastal villages: Evidence from the Greater Hangzhou Bay Rim Area

Public value is gaining prominence from both academics and politicians with regards to China’s rural development. However, rural planning authorities and practitioners showed limited confidence on public, which manifests as few public perceptions were integrated into the planning documents. This study explores the potential role of residents’ experiences in illustrating local economic development within the context of coastal villages in which economic and industries are rapidly transforming. Two case studies from within the locale of the Greater Hangzhou Bay Rim Area are used in this article to examine the gap between residents’ experiences and the actual economic development that has occurred. The main findings suggest that rural residents can directly reflect upon both current and historic trends of local economic development. Moreover, household income satisfaction (HIS) is a comprehensive notion of residents’ experiences, and indicates social and economic sustainability of industrial transformation, or “thriving business”, that have been highlighted in coastal villages. Public experiences could therefore act as a valid and accessible evidence for planners in rural economic planning in China and other developing countries.

Divergent socioeconomic-ecological outcomes of China's Conversion of Cropland to Forest Program in the subtropical mountainous area and the semi-arid Loess Plateau

China's Conversion of Cropland to Forest Program (CCFP) is one of the world's largest Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs. Its socioeconomic-ecological effects are of great interest to both scholars and policy-makers. However, little is known about how the socioeconomic-ecological outcomes of CCFP differ across geographic regions. This study integrates household survey data, satellite imagery, and statistical models to examine labor migration and forest dynamics under CCFP. The investigation is carried out at two mountainous sites with distinct biophysical and socioeconomic conditions, one in a subtropical mountainous region (Anhui) and the other in the semi-arid Loess Plateau (Shanxi). We found divergent CCFP outcomes on migration behavior, stimulating both local- and distant-migration in the Anhui site while discouraging distant-migration in the Shanxi site, after controlling for factors at the individual, household, community and regional levels. Forest recovery is positively associated with distant-migration in Anhui but with local-migration in Shanxi. Contextual factors interact with demographic-socioeconomic factors to influence household livelihoods in both areas, leading to various socio-ecological pathways from CCFP participation to enhanced forest sustainability. Regional differences should therefore be taken into account in the design of future large-scale PES programs.

Identification of Conservation Priority Zones Using Spatially Explicit Valued Ecosystem Services: A Case from the Indian Sundarbans

Demarcation of conservation priority zones (CPZs) using spatially explicit models is the new challenge in ecosystem services (ESs) research. This study identifies the CPZs of the Indian Sundarbans by integrating 2 different approaches, that is, ESs and ecosystem health (EH). Five successive steps were followed to conduct the analysis: First, the ESs were estimated using biophysical and economic methods and a hybrid method (that combines biophysical and economic methods); second, the vigor-organization-resilience (VOR) model was used for estimating EH; third, the risk characterization value (RCV) of ESs was measured using the function of EH and ESs; fourth, Pearson correlation test was performed to analyze the interaction between ESs and EH components; and fifth, the CPZs were defined by considering 7 relevant components: ecosystem vigor, ecosystem organization, ecosystem resilience, RCV, EH, ESs, and the correlation between EH and ESs. Among the major ecoregions of the Sundarbans, the highest ESs value in economic terms is provided by the mangrove ecosystem (US$19 144.9 million per year). The highest conservation priority score was projected for the Gosaba block, which is dominated by dense mangrove forests. The estimated CPZs were found to be highly consistent with the existing biodiversity zonations. The outcome of this study could be a reference for environmentalists, land administrators, researchers, and decision makers to design relevant policies to protect the high values of the Sundarbans ecosystem. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:773-787. © 2020 SETAC.

Determining the Boundary and Probability of Surface Urban Heat Island Footprint Based on a Logistic Model

Studies of the spatial extent of surface urban heat island (SUHI or UHISurf) effects require precise determination of the footprint (FP) boundary. Currently available methods overestimate or underestimate the SUHI FP boundary, and can even alter its morphology, due to theoretical limitations on the ability of their algorithms to accurately determine the impacts of the shape, topography, and landscape heterogeneity of the city. The key to determining the FP boundary is identifying background temperatures in reference rural regions. Due to the instability of remote sensing data, these background temperatures should be determined automatically rather than manually, to eliminate artificial bias. To address this need, we developed an algorithm that adequately represents the decay of land surface temperature (LST) from the urban center to surrounding rural regions, and automatically calculates thresholds for reference rural LSTs in all directions based on a logistic curve. In this study, we applied this algorithm with data from the Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (Aqua/MODIS) 8-day level 3 (L3) LST global grid product to delineate precise SUHI FPs for the Beijing metropolitan area during the summers of 2004–2018 and determine the interannual and diurnal variations in FP boundaries and their relationship with SUHI intensity.