How trust shapes the fate of natural resources co-management: Applying trust theory to two matsutake-harvesting communities in the S protected area in China

Community-based natural resource governance is often promoted in the name of sustainability, yet long-term outcomes remain elusive. This study examines the impact of various types of trust as the underpinning factor for the long-term resilience of co-management arrangements. Using a four-type trust framework, dispositional, affinitive, rational, and procedural, the study compares trust trajectories across the prior to-, during-, and post-project phases of matsutake mushroom management in two communities within the S National Protected Area, Yunnan Province, China. Drawing on qualitative interviews and comparative case analysis, the study finds that while neither community sustained co-management mechanisms in full, X Village retained partial continuity through embedded procedural and rational trust. In contrast, Y village experienced accelerated institutional decline after project withdrawal, as market changes and weak enforcement undermined collective norms and trust in formal structures. These findings underscore that institutional resilience is shaped not only by institutional design but also by the evolution and interaction of trust types over time. By tracing trust trajectories across project stages, this study contributes a micro-level explanation of how trust mediates post-project governance outcomes. It emphasizes that trust layering, together with the distribution of multiple trust types across actors, enhances institutional resilience, particularly when these trust relations are embedded within local social and institutional practices. The findings highlight the need to consider how co-management strategies can support trust continuity after project withdrawal, particularly by acknowledging the underlying structural conditions that shape trust resilience. • Trust critically shapes co-management outcomes in conservation projects. • Two villages demonstrate divergent post-project governance outcomes despite undergoing similar interventions. • Procedural trust alone is fragile and requires reinforcement from other trust types. • Trust layering and distribution enhance long-term institutional resilience.