Farmers’ adaptive behaviors towards wildlife incidents regarding national park management: The role of informal institutions

Abstract

With the increasing interactions between rural communities and wildlife, understanding the influence of informal institutions on farmers' adaptive behaviors towards wildlife incidents becomes crucial for sustaining farming livelihoods. This paper investigates whether informal institutions, represented by village rules, have contributed to farmers' adaptive behaviors towards wildlife incidents based on the Qinling National Park. Data on village rules and adaptive behavior towards wildlife incidents were collected through a questionnaire survey of 569 households in 12 villages and community workshops. The findings indicate that village rules play an important role in promoting the adoption of adaptive behaviors towards wildlife incidents by farmers. Village rules emphasize cooperation and coordination, which help strengthen collective protection efforts. Furthermore, agricultural policy initiatives have shown effectiveness in promoting farmers’ adaptive behaviors in dealing with wildlife invasion issues. Additionally, an interaction between village rules and environmental regulations exists, where the guiding and incentive effects of environmental regulations are overshadowed by village rules. Moreover, generational differences show that older generations are more influenced by village rules and environmental regulations compared to younger generations of farmers. This study provides valuable insights for managing wildlife incidents in rural areas.