Integrating Environmental Perceptions and Value Cognition to Understand Farmers' Livelihood Capacity: Evidence From a Rocky Desertification Area in China

Rocky desertification poses a serious threat to the sustainable development of karst regions. Large‐scale ecological restoration projects for ecologically fragile areas not only improve regional ecological quality but also affect farmers' perception of rocky desertification control (PRDC) and value cognition. In the context of ecological restoration projects, we surveyed 677 rural households in 29 villages in the South China karst region with the aim to assess the impact of farmers' PRDC and cognition of ecological, economic and social values on their sustainable livelihood capacity (SLC). We then used partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS‐SEM) and Multi‐group structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse the farmer survey data. The results reveal that PRDC not only has a positive effect on farmers' SLC but also indirectly affects farmers' SLC by shaping farmers' cognition of ecological, economic and social values. The findings offer insights for developing targeted interventions to increase the livelihood capacity.