Extending the Value–Belief–Norm Model with Assigned Value: A Study on Visitors’ Pro-Environmental Behavior in Forest Ecosystems of National Parks

The environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) of visitors within forested national parks is critical for balancing biodiversity conservation and sustainable recreation. While the Value–Belief–Norm (VBN) model has been widely used to explain ERB, it has rarely incorporated context-specific value perceptions, such as assigned value. This study extends the VBN model by integrating this construct and examines its role in shaping visitors’ pro-environmental intentions. Taking Qianjiangyuan National Park in China as a case study, we incorporate visitors’ perception of the social value derived from the park’s forest-based ecosystem services into an expanded VBN framework. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results show that assigned value positively influences ERB intention; pro-environmental personal norms are the strongest direct predictor (β = 0.426); and biospheric value, egoistic value, and personal norms significantly foster assigned value formation, whereas altruistic value shows no significant effect. These findings highlight the importance of integrating situational, forest-specific value perceptions into behavioral models and offer management insights for promoting ERB intention through value-congruent communication in forest recreation settings.