Mining area ecological protection: knowledge production from the perspective of planned behavior theory

Abstract

To assess residents’ knowledge of ecological protection in mining areas, an analytical model following the planned behavior theory was developed. Data from China’s Huainan mining area were collected through a questionnaire survey and statistically analyzed through a structural equation model and a resistance diagnosis. Results showed that the relative importance of behavior perception (0.457), behavior attitude (0.332), and behavior norms (0.231) to the mining area ecological protection decreases successively for mining area residents. Further, the dominant influencing factors of economic benefits and neighborhood ethic pressure are identical, except for the observed variables of behavior perception, and there is a difference between the second and the third observed variables in relation to behavior attitude. Finally, it was also found that the causal chain path coefficient of groups with no willingness to pay was greater than that of the others. The findings of this study can help understand the impacts between the behavior cognition of mining area ecological protection and ecological protection, as well as the impact of mining area resident behavior willingness on the causal chain. Further, ecological protection knowledge production based on these are beneficial to achieve ecological security and sustainable development of mining areas. To improve knowledge productions, it is recommended to introduce the concept of ‘co-construction, co-governance, and sharing’ into the production system, devising new means of precise data gathering interventions, and optimizing a new path of value realization.