Wolong Household Study [China]

The purpose of this study is to investigate household-environment dynamics in the Coupled Human and Natural System (CHANS) of Wolong Nature Reserve (WNR), the "flagship" reserve designated for conserving the world-famous endangered Giant Pandas of China. The overall research questions of this study include: (1) how demographic and socioeconomic processes at the household level, e.g. those related to family structures and livelihood systems, affect local residents' resource exploitation patterns and land use practices; (2) how local residents respond to shifts in government policy, especially the implementation of two nationwide conservation programs, the Natural Forest Conservation Program (NFCP) and the Grain-to-Green Program (GTGP), in WNR; and (3) how household and policy dynamics interact to affect the natural environment of WNR. Example hypotheses tested in this study concerned: (1) the effects of conservation policies on local households' energy consumption patterns and fuelwood collection behaviors; (2) the connection between a household's demographic and socioeconomic background and its responses to conservation policies; (3) the relationships between social networks and labor migration; (4) the factors that affect a household's participation in nature-based tourism and the distribution of tourism benefits among different households; and (5) the potential implication of the processes described above on wildlife habitat change and conservation. The data collection in this study focuses on household demographics, household income and expenditure, fuelwood and electricity use, as well as the development of non-agricultural activities such as migration and tourism. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect yearly data of the previous year in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2010 using highly structured survey questionnaires. A sample of 220 households originally drawn in 1999 was revisited in each year's survey. The definition of households was based on the 2000 population census and family registration records from the local WNR administration.