Ecological Value

The study of tourists' pro-environmental behavior has become a hot topic in academia, as it can promote the sustainable development of ecological tourism in national forest parks. However, little research has been conducted on the awakening process of ecological values, which is highly correlated with tourists' pro-environmental behavior. Therefore, this article selects Wuyishan National Forest Park in China as the research object and uses the PLS-SEM analysis method to explore the relationship between ecological values and tourists' pro-environmental behavior, incorporating place attachment into the research. The study shows that: 1) ecological values and place identity have a significant positive impact on tourists' pro-environmental behavior; ecological values have a significant positive impact on place dependence, place identity, and ecological values themselves; 2) ecological values can indirectly affect pro-environmental behavior through the mediating effect of place identity or the chain mediation effect of place dependence and place identity; 3) the direct relationship between ecological values and pro-environmental behavior is moderated by age among demographic variables, while the indirect relationship between ecological values and pro-environmental behavior is moderated by gender and age. The results provide a theoretical basis for effectively stimulating pro-environmental behavior among national forest park tourists.