How Participation in Payment for Ecosystem Services Shapes Perception of Ecosystem Services and Conservation Willingness

It is imperative to comprehend the impact of payment for ecosystem services (PES) policies on local communities’ perceptions for effective environmental management. However, recent studies on how PES programs impact local communities’ environmental perceptions and conservation willingness remain limited. To better understand local communities’ perceptions of ecosystem services (ES) under various PES programs, we conducted 381 face-to-face household surveys in the Dashanbao Protected Area (DPA), China. Using path analysis and multiple correspondence analysis, we examined how participation experiences in PES program influence communities’ perceptions of ES and shape their conservation willingness and environmental decision-making intentions. The results indicated a significant difference in the perception of ES between PES program participants and nonparticipants. Respondents’ participation in payment for wetland ecosystem services (PWES) significantly and positively influenced their perception of ES, whereas involvement in unsustainable PES programs had a significant negative effect. Additionally, respondents’ perception of ES significantly and positively influenced subsequent conservation willingness and land-use-related environmental decision-making. However, livelihood income was not the primary driving factor. Instead, factors associated with ES perception and social background shaped local communities’ willingness to participate in conservation. These findings underscore the importance of well-designed and sustainable PES schemes. The results highlight the need to enhance our understanding of how PES initiatives influence human perception, conservation willingness, and environmental decision-making within the coupled human and natural systems of protected areas. It can also potentially shed light on related environmental management schemes aimed at achieving ecosystem health goals and sustainable community development worldwide.