Study on Pro-Environmental Behavior to Enhance Rural Social-Ecological Resilience: The Role of Place Identity and Social Cohesion as Mediating Mechanisms

Villagers’ pro-environment behaviors profoundly impact the sustainable development of the rural eco-environment. Based on a survey of three traditional Chinese villages dealing with the challenges posed by modern development, we use structural equation models to analyze the contribution of villagers’ pro-environmental behaviors to rural social-ecological resilience (identification of disturbances, internal stability, absorption and transformation, and system innovation). The results show that the former positively impacts the latter. Strengthening public participation at the behavioral level and reusing traditional local knowledge at the cultural level are prominent factors. Place identity and social cohesion are the mediating factors and social mechanisms of the process. Additionally, the degree of ecological environment dependence, age, residence time, and other factors positively correlate with the perception of social-ecological resilience. Therefore, this paper proposes four strategies to strengthen multi-level environmental management, cultivate the local ecological memory, increase the diversity of management forces, and encourage villagers to develop the self-organizing ability of eco-environmental management, which are crucial to the sustainable development of the rural eco-environment. It also provides a promising reference for developing villages facing the same challenge.