Willing or Not? Rural Residents’ Willingness to Pay for Ecosystem Conservation in Economically Underdeveloped Regions: A Case Study in China’s Qinling National Park

Implementing payments for ecosystem service (PES) programs in national parks has proven effective in balancing the conflicts between ecosystem conservation and economic development, achieving long-term sustainability. Residents’ participation and financial contributions are crucial prerequisites for establishing PES programs in national parks. Hence, it is necessary to investigate residents’ willingness to participate in and pay before its official operation in China’s Qinling National Park. By adopting a contingent valuation method, this study collects 1431 face-to-face, one-to-one questionnaire answers from rural residents in the region. The results show that 76.7% of the sample are willing to participate in the ecosystem conservation of Qinling National Park, although their willingness to pay is relatively low, with the average being RMB 136.5 (USD 20.3) per household per year. Moreover, informal institutions maintained by social trust continue to play an essential role in this rural area. Residents’ willingness to participate is positively influenced by their social trust, which includes both institutional and interpersonal trust. Additionally, their willingness to pay is positively affected by their household income and cultural preferences. Finally, residents’ occupation as farmers exhibits a negative moderating effect on the direct influence of their household income on their willingness to pay, while their education level positively moderates the impact of their cultural preferences on their willingness to pay.