Farmers’ Cognitive Assessments On The Ecological Benefits Of Non-Commercial Forests

As the most fundamental interests of human survival and development, the ecological benefit of forests is an important carrier of the planet’s ecosystem. In recent years, it obtains more and more public attention and protection because of its various ecological functions such as soil and water conservation, windbreak and sand stabilization, air purification, climate regulation, and improvement of agricultural production conditions.According to the Division Measures of Key Non-commercial Forests, in the2.87million hectares of nationwide forests, there were1.05hectares of identified key non-commercial forests, accounting for37.2%of the forest area in China. However, as the revenues of commercial forest is increasing in recent years, the protection of ecological non-commercia forests has become more difficult. In order to ensure a stable proportion of the land area of ecological non-commercial forests over30%, the studies on the ecological benefits of non-commercial forests, especially on assessment of cognitive value, are particularly necessary.Therefore, farmers’ cognitive assessments on the ecological benefits of non-commercial forests are studies as the objects. The theory of public goods and externalities as the theoretical basis, the research questionnaires are designed referring to conditional value theory, guidance techniques, possible bias and processing approaches.The preliminary survey is conducted in a typical area of Zhang Wan and Dan Jiangkou in Shiyan city. In the later phase of research, adjustments and improvements are made aiming at the problems in the preliminary research. During July to August in2012, a field research in larger scale is conducted, obtaining174valid questionnaires.Secondly, the validity and reliabity of the entire cognitive results of interviwed farmers are tested with SPSS. Also, the significance of29designed and observed variables is tested using Logit model, rejecting4variables of less significance.Then, the cognition and assessment of interviewed farmers in Shiyan on the ecological benefits of non-commercial forests are analyzed with structural equation model. Finally, the empirical results are tested by the empirical data from numerical economic model and recommendations and suggestions are proposed to improve the existing forest right system and the compensation policy.The results show that:(1)Farmers’ cognition of ecological benefits of non-commercial forests is significantly connected with their basic characteristics, cognition of ecological function and benefits of non-commercial forests, and cognition of ecological policy on non-commercial forests. However, it is negatively connected with farmers’ households characteristics.(2)The significance of29designed and observed variables is tested using Logit model, rejecting4variables of less significance--the share of forestry income in family income, compensation of protecting forestry eco-environment, the influence of ecological forests distribution on family forestry income, the investment and management of non-commercial forests after the distribution of ecological forests. Thus, the selected observed variables in the structural equation are shown in Table6.(3)From the perspectives of farmers’personal characteristics, farmers with higher cognition degree of the ecological benefits of non-commercial forests are those of older age and of higher education, who have shouldered the responsibilities of village cadres, have participated in forestry training and have the non-forestry employability skills. The reasons for the higher cognition and assessment are likely to be the result of combined action of the above factors, such as the agre, education, responsibilities of village cadres and non-forestry employability skills.(4)In the view of farmers’ households characteristics, farmers’ households with higher cognition degree of the ecological benefits of non-commercial forests are also those with higher labor force proportion and more people engaging in forestry production, whose income level mainly consisting of forestry income is above the average level and who have the forestry right certificates.(5)From the cognitive perspective, farmers with higher cognition degree of the ecological benefits of non-commercial forests are those who hold that the ecological function of non-commercial forests is important, who are satisfied with the eco-environment of non-commercial forests, who recognize the improvemnet of the surrounding eco-environment, who think that the deforestation of non-commercial forests is harmful to eco-environment and who realize the benefits of non-commercial forests in windbreak and sand stabilization, water conservation and air purification. The cognition in soil and water conservation and the improvement of agricultural producing conditions is relatively insufficient.(6)Farmers’ congtion of the ecological benefits of non-commercial forests is positively related to their alttitude towards ecological protection of non-commercial forests, the knowledge on government’s policies, satisfaction and approval of the compensation policy for protecting non-commercial forests.On the basis of a serious analysis of ecological cognition of non-commercial forests, a contermeasure analysis is conducted on the ecological benefits of non-commercial forests in Shiyan.To raise the protection awareness of farmers, improve the cognitive feedback mechanism of rurual non-commercial forests, to increase the satisfaction of farmers on eco-environment and to encusre forestry income, the following suggestions are propossed. We could expend the cognitive publicity of the ecological benefits of non-commercial forests, enhance forestry training, raise the non-forestry employability skills of farmers, transfor farmers’ means of livelihood, adjust the reform policy of forestry right, standardize the supply and demand system of non-commercial forests use, and perfect the cognitive feedback mechanism of ecological benefits of rural non-commercial forests.