Climate Education as a Pathway to Land Restoration and Sustainable Local Development Within China's Land Ecological Civilization Framework

ABSTRACT Land degradation and climate change create linked risks to ecosystems and rural livelihoods, and China's land ecological civilization agenda highlights restoration and sustainable development. This study tests whether climate education improves restoration outcomes in degraded‐land communities and whether this effect works through practice adoption. A field survey was conducted with 287 respondents across five provinces, using multi‐item Likert measures and a multi‐informant design for key local moderators. Hierarchical regression was used to test direct, mediating, and moderating effects. Climate education is positively related to restoration outcomes, and practice adoption partially explains this relationship. Climate extremes weaken the education–outcome link, while policy support strengthens it. Land degradation and monitoring technology do not show significant moderating effects in the reported models. The findings suggest that climate education supports restoration most when it is practical, adoption‐focused, and supported by local policy capacity in climate‐stressed landscapes.