Determinants of Public Participation in Watershed Management in Southeast China: An Application of the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework

Increasingly, adaptive processes and decentralization are vital aspects of watershed governance. Equitable and sustainable water governance requires an understanding that different societal members have unique relationships with the environment and varying levels of interaction with policymakers. However, the factors facilitating public involvement under centralized governance remain less understood. This study combined the Institutional Analysis and Development framework with ordered probit regression to empirically investigate the determinants of willingness to participate (WTP) and actual participation of the public in integrated watershed management (IWM). Data from 933 valid questionnaires collected across 36 counties in Fujian, China, were used to define stakeholders’ perceptions of IWM. Results show that stakeholders are predominantly willing to participate in watershed conservation, management, or planning (85.9%), while only 32.8% frequently attend related events. Pro-environmental intentions were mainly shaped by interactional capacity—information exposure, interpersonal exchanges, and cross-reach support recognition—while actual participation was influenced by perceived biophysical conditions, rules-in-use, socioeconomic factors, and interactional capacity. Frequent observations of poor forest management practices were correlated with higher behavioral intentions, and socioeconomic dynamics significantly affected self-reported actual participation. Information sharing had the most substantial positive impact on both WTP and actual participation. These findings reinforce the necessity for an integrated and holistic approach to regional watershed resource management that fosters inclusivity and sustainability. This study provides workable insights into the social and institutional factors that shape public participation in watershed governance as it evolves toward decentralization.