The Impact of the Establishment of the Mount Wuyi National Park on the Livelihood of Farmers

Abstract

The construction of national parks has a profound impact on the production and life of surrounding farmers. Based on the survey data of 354 farmers around the Mount Wuyi National Park, this paper uses the method of constructing a difference-in-difference model to analyze the impact of the Mount Wuyi National Park construction on the livelihood choices of surrounding farmers and the main income of families. In addition, this article analyzes the heterogeneity of surrounding farmers based on differences in tea planting area and farmers’ income levels. The results show the following: First, compared with pre-establishment, farmers around the Mount Wuyi National Park still prefer tea-based agricultural employment or part-time employment. Second, after the establishment of the Mount Wuyi National Park, the main income of surrounding farmers’ families is still agricultural income. Therefore, the authors of this article believe that it is necessary to further strengthen the protection of the livelihoods of surrounding farmers and moderately create more livelihood choices for surrounding farmers in order to achieve both ecological and economic benefits.