No abstract

Environmental pollution as a result of the improper disposal of pesticide packaging wastes (PPWs) has posed serious harm to groundwater, soil and public health. However, few studies focused on PPWs green disposal willingness and behaviors of farmers from the perspective of perceived value. Based on the first-hand data, collected from 635 farmers of grain-producing counties in Henan province of China, through the questionnaire survey method, this paper adopted a structural equation model (SEM) to empirically explore the formation mechanism of perceived value on PPWs green disposal, and green disposal willingness and behaviors were further in-depth investigated. The results showed that the action of farmers’ green disposal of PPWs followed the causal relationship, whereby perceived value→behavioral willingness→behavioral performance, and farmers’ perceived value came from the comprehensive tradeoff and comparison between perceived benefits and perceived risks. Meanwhile, the perceived benefits and perceived risks could have significant effects on green disposal willingness and behaviors directly and indirectly, among which perceived benefits (0.478) had the greatest positive total effects on the willingness, and perceived risks (−0.362) had the greatest negative total effects on the behaviors. Interestingly, there existed inconsistence between farmers’ green disposal willingness and behaviors. When faced with the choice of PPWs green disposal, the farmers were generally risk averse, which resulted in them being more inclined to take conservative behaviors driven by the profit maximization, and even showed the “powerless” state with willingness but no actual action.

In China, the excessive application and improper disposal of chemical inputs have posed a great threat to the agricultural ecological environment and human health. The key to solve this problem is to promote the sustainable behaviors of farmers’ agricultural green production (AGP). Based on the micro-survey data of 652 farmers, this study adopts the binary probit model to investigate the impacts of risk perception and environmental regulation on the sustainable behaviors of farmers’ AGP. Results show that both risk perception and environmental regulation have significant effects on farmers’ willingness to engage in sustainable behaviors. Moreover, environmental regulation can positively adjust risk perception to improve farmers’ willingness to engage in sustainable behaviors. In terms of the two-dimensional variables, economic risks create the greatest negative impacts, and their marginal effect is 7.3%, while voluntary regulation creates the strongest positive impacts, and its marginal effect is 14.1%. However, both constrained and voluntary regulation have an enhanced moderating effect, where the effects of voluntary regulation are more remarkable. This is mainly because the environmental regulation policy signed by the government and farmers through the letter of commitment can inspire farmers to continue to implement green agricultural production from the deep heart. Therefore, government policies should constantly reduce farmers’ risk perception in terms of economic input, and adopt restrictive behaviors measures, such as regulatory punishment and voluntary contract, to promote their sustainable behaviors of AGP to the maximum extent.

Sustainable utilization of grassland resources was an important topic concerned by worldwide countries and regions, and ecological compensation had gradually become the main policy tool for grassland environmental management and ecological protection. This study adopted face-to-face interviews and questionnaires, and multiordered Logit model was then used to explore herdsmen’s satisfaction with Grassland Ecological Conservation Subsidy and Reward Policy (GECSRP) focusing on identifying the key factors behind it. Results showed that herdsmen were not satisfied with GECSRP on the whole, while value perception, environmental regulation and their interaction played a positive role on improving the satisfaction. Specifically, economic benefits had the strongest promotion impacts, followed by social identity in the two-dimensional variables of value perception. The guiding regulation had stronger promoting impacts, followed by the incentive regulation in the two-dimensional variables of environmental regulation. Interestingly, incentive regulation played an enhanced interaction on the influence of economic benefits and environmental value on herdsmen’s satisfaction, yet the interaction between guiding regulation and environmental value was not significant. These indicated that herdsmen paid more attention to substantial subsidies and rewards in the process of ecological livestock husbandry, and environmental regulation formulated by government had a phenomenon of “relative system failure”. Thus, the grassland ecological environment policy should be further adjusted and improved to promote the economic development of pastoral areas.

Forestlands not only provide the conditions that support forested environments, but they also generate natural resources and ecosystem services that support human survival and social development. Using benchmark price to evaluate the economic value of forests is fast and efficient, which can function as an important tool for the improvement of forest resources management. However, information remains limited on how to establish a unified and complete benchmark price for forestland resources in China. Therefore, this study aimed to grade the forestlands and formulate the corresponding benchmark price to improve the statistical management efficiency of forestlands resources. We conducted our study in Longquan County, Zhejiang Province, where we implemented a survey and collected data focusing on forest resources planning. We classified forest resources in this area to establish a benchmark price using geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis technology. Based on the characteristics of the survey data and the local economic and social situation, the correction coefficient of forestland price was formulated, and the economic value of forestlands resource assets was calculated accordingly. Results indicate that: (1) the forestland can be divided into five grades. The number and area of forestland increased firstly and then decreased from Grade I to Grade V. Forestland resources were concentrated in Grade II and Grade III, accounting for 62.0% of the total area. (2) The benchmark price of forestland in Longquan County was 10,380, 9493, 8708, 7827 and 6771 Chinese Yuan (CNY)·hm−2 from Grade I to Grade V, respectively. The benchmark price of forestland in different grades could reflect the quality of forestland. (3) The price correction coefficient was formulated to match the benchmark price of forestland according to the forestland particularity and the external embodiment of forestland productivity level, and then, the economic value of forestland resource assets in the study area was calculated to be 22.48 million CNY accordingly. The method used in this study has the advantages of simple operation, high efficiency and a low cost. This study can provide methods for the evaluation and accounting of forestland resources, give technical support for the audit of natural resource assets of government departments, help to prepare the balance sheet of natural resources, and further prompt references for the statistical management of forest resources in similar regions and countries.