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How Household Characteristics Drive Divergent Livelihood Resilience: A Case from the Lancang River Source Area of Sanjiangyuan National Park

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Enhancing herders’ livelihoods is essential in balancing human–land interactions and promoting inclusive, sustainable development within protected area management. Using a household survey (N = 3539; March–June 2025) and a mixed-methods quantitative approach (weighted TOPSIS, obstacle degree, Spatial Durbin Model, and hierarchical regression), we assessed household livelihood resilience in the Lancang River source area of Sanjiangyuan National Park. Key findings included the following. Overall livelihood resilience was moderate, with a mean score of 0.411. This was characterized by a marked weakness in learning capacity (0.358) and relative strength in self-organization (0.431). Major barriers to resilience included cooperative participation (obstacle degree: 8.14%), education levels (7.58%), skills training (7.18%), household savings (6.40%), and information acquisition abilities (5.97%). The spatial analysis revealed a core-periphery pattern of resilience, evidenced by significant negative spatial autocorrelation (W×HLR coefficient = −0.787, p = 0.001), suggesting competitive interactions among villages. Within this pattern, cooperative participation induced significant positive spatial spillovers (W×X8 coefficient = 0.147, p < 0.001), while benefits derived from information acquisition abilities remained localized (Direct Effect = 0.061, p < 0.001). The pathways to resilience were associated with household heterogeneity. Associations between key factors and resilience varied across demographic groups, with women and youth benefiting more from skills training and education. Livelihood strategies were linked to information utilization, with cordyceps-dependent households exhibiting greater sensitivity to information acquisition abilities (interaction coefficient = 0.009, p = 0.009). The institutional environment shaped organizational benefits; the positive association with cooperative participation diminished in the core protected zone (interaction coefficient = −0.011, p = 0.036). These findings highlight household heterogeneity as a key factor influencing diverse resilience pathways. They also emphasize the need for targeted, spatially specific, and group-oriented governance strategies.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su172310755

Authors: Jiajun Cao, Zhiyuan Song, Bin Xu, Gaoyang Dong, Ting Pan, Hongbo Ma

Institutions: Qinghai Normal University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Qinghai University

Language: English

Topic: Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology

Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: No poverty, Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896