4.1. Use the new framework to explore the outcomes of community participation on national park governance.
This study validates the applicability of using an innovative framework to analyze residents' perceptions and attitudes toward community participation on the effectiveness of PAs’ governance. Exploratory factor analysis and full-scale reliability test results show that the analytical framework is appropriate, and SEM analysis shows that the interrelationships among ecological environment, livelihood assets, high-quality ecological products, management efficiency, social order, and satisfaction are well revealed (See Sections 3.2 and 3.3). Therefore, by providing a robust new model for the practice of community participation on PAs’ governance outcomes, this study addresses concerns about the lack of a suitable framework to explore how community residents fulfill PAs’ functions in the governance process. This study highly supports the hypothesis that management efficiency affects the outcomes of community residents' participation in PAs’ governance (Table S3). The efficient management efficiency of the local government has a more prominent effect on community participation. Similarly, Franco (2020) reports that efficient management efficiency of local governments has a significant positive impact on PAs’ governance. Therefore, it is appropriate to use management efficiency to measure the outcomes of PAs’governance. In this study, management efficiency was identified as the first important factor influencing the outcomes of community participation on protected area governance (see Section 3.3). This finding is consistent with Dawson (2021). Therefore, the management efficiency of Potatso National Park should be strengthened.
4.2. Effect of farmers' livelihood assets on quality ecological products and their satisfaction.
The results showed that livelihood assets did not positively affect satisfaction (Table S3). In our survey, the respondents repeatedly mentioned that although the back-feeding agreement is thoughtful for community residents, the average household can get back-feeding income ranging from tens of thousands of RMB per year. However, its implementation is not ideal. Since 2018, the Pudacuo Tourism Branch[1] has not honored the feedback agreement from the community residents. Coupled with the lack of opportunities for the community to participate in the co-governance in the park, the issue of community back-feeding is still the focus of contradictions. Since Potatso National Park is changing from a tourism development model to national park model, the most important conceptual change is the change from the original development priority to the ecological protection firstly. Therefore, residents in the park have to give up some previous horse-drawing and grazing activities that affect environmental protection. The failure to fulfill the back-feeding agreement and the reduction of community residents' livelihoods explained the result that livelihood assets did not positively affect satisfaction.
In addition, we also ask, "Is imported currency a sustainable way of making a living?" It may be useful to consider different types of motivations and how they are affected by policy. Tourism back-feeding is a form of "extrinsic" motivation, but people also have strong "intrinsic" motivations, they do things because of their own values or what brings them real enjoyment. Some intrinsic motivations may be related to culture and tradition. The government hopes to replace intrinsic motivation with extrinsic motivation, which may be possible to a certain extent, but governments should also consider how to maintain and "squeeze in" intrinsic motivation. Some forms of extrinsic motivation can crowd out intrinsic motivation (Kaczan et al., 2019).
Potatso National Park community participation in PAs governance policies or plans do not consider the design of intrinsic motivation. At present, community residents are not enthusiastic enough to participate in the co-construction of national parks. The reason is that the operation and management of national parks is not directly related to community residents, which causes residents to think that they have nothing to do with them if they have received compensation funds and do not participate in deforestation. The efficiency of the operating company has nothing to do with the development of the community. The operating model of the park is that the community residents completely withdraw from the business activities and only participate in the construction of the park in some employment positions. If they don't cherish it, they will not be able to generate a sense of ownership that advances and retreats with the company. Therefore, in the process of implementing policies or plans, attention should be paid to enhancing residents' enthusiasm for environmental protection and willingness to supervise the environment, and encouraging residents to achieve self-management and self-supervision. The compensation agreement method after 2018 may be guaranteed to the national and provincial governments in the form of ecological compensation on the basis of striving to establish a diversified financial guarantee system, which is the long-term solution. Therefore, providing sustainable and effective ecological compensation and scientifically appropriate franchise projects to increase the income of community residents is an effective way to improve the effectiveness of protected area governance.
In addition, livelihood assets did not show a significant impact relationship on high-quality ecological products. During the interview and field investigation, it was found that Pudacuo National Park still lacks high-quality ecological products. According to the existing data and the results of on-site interviews, it is found that the national park does not pay much attention to the protection of the ethnic culture of the community. The unique ethnic culture is the potential for the development of national park. At present, the national park lag behind in the mining, protection and utilization of cultural resources in the community.
It is suggested that on the basis of the protection of cultural resources in the community, high-quality ecological products that highlight the characteristics of Potatso National Park should be excavated with culture as the source. Due to the limited education level of community residents, they do not understand the concept and definition of high-quality ecological products. The survey found that the "cognitive stress" of the community people on "Potatso National Park" falls on the word "park", that is, most local villagers do not fully understand the connotation and concept of "national park", but only think that Pudacuo is a park and a national scenic spot. In the interview and questionnaire survey on "the difference between national parks and general scenic spots", 70% of the respondents said that they did not know the difference between them, and only some community elites had a little understanding of the mission of national park construction and its significance to the community. In addition, it can be seen from the words of the local villagers that the villagers do not think that the local community is part of the Potatso National Park, but believe that the establishment of the national park has encroached upon the basic rights and interests of the people in the community. The company's behavior is regarded as relying on the power of the government to "compete with the people for profit". This one-sided perception of "scenic spots" and "parks" is obviously not enough to reflect the true identity and functions of national parks, and will inevitably influence the attitudes and behaviors of local people. From the analysis of the plight of community governance in Potatso National Park, it can be seen that the basic rights and interests of the community, community interests, community livelihoods, and national park identity, and other key content of community governance are closely related to the autonomous rights and interests of the community. In the process of community governance of national parks, the dominant cause of community conflict is the difference in the interest demands of the community and other stakeholders in the national park field. But its hidden deep reason lies in the lack of the community's subjectivity in the construction of national parks.
4.3. Mutual relations between satisfaction, ecological environment, livelihood assets, high-quality ecological products, social order and management efficiency
The results show that management efficiency has a significant positive relationship with satisfaction, ecological environment, livelihood assets, high-quality ecological products and social order. However, compared with others, the path coefficient of management efficiency to satisfaction is the lowest. The explanation for this is due to the narrow scope of community participation. At present, the way for the community to participate in the co-construction of national parks is to provide tourism feedback to community residents based on the park's use of community resources. The community fails to actively participate in the construction, operation, management, and development of the park, resulting in no relationship between the community and the park except for the intersection of tourism and feedback. National park lack long-term planning for the path of community development, and fail to play an active role in the coordinated development with surrounding communities.
The standardized path coefficient of management efficiency to social order was the highest (0.644). It shows that the positive effect of management efficiency on social order is significant. In the future work, attention should be paid to improving the enthusiasm of residents to participate in the co-construction of the park. Fully understand the new ecological protection concept of national parks, change "passive" protection to "active" participation, improve the sense of ownership, guide community residents to fully realize the importance of coordinated development of national parks and communities, and effectively participate in the whole process of national park construction. Increase gratitude education for residents so that they can fully realize the superiority of the tourism feedback policy, consciously practice their own obligations and responsibilities, and fundamentally solve the ideological problems of residents.
The standardized path coefficient of management efficiency on the ecological environment is 0.517, and the P value is less than 0.05, indicating that there is a significant positive impact relationship, and the hypothesis is established. The main purpose of establishing national parks in China is to protect nationally representative natural ecosystems. Therefore, the management department has always adhered to ecological environmental protection, and put ecosystem protection first in the formulation and implementation of relevant management policies. With the improvement of management efficiency, the ecological environment also tends to improve. It is worth noting that the contradiction between the livelihood development of the national park community residents and the ecological protection has always existed.
The standardized path coefficient of management efficiency on livelihood assets is 0.488, and the P value is less than 0.05, indicating that there is a significant positive impact relationship, and the hypothesis is established. The establishment of China's national parks emphasizes the public welfare of the whole people. Community residents, as the main stakeholders, ensure the sustainable development of their livelihoods is the proper meaning of the national park construction. Compared with other countries, the residents of China's national parks are often economically underdeveloped, and there are many conflicts between the development of residents' livelihoods and the protection of national parks. The Potatso National Park area is located in Yunnan Province, and the development of community residents has certain livelihood vulnerabilities. Therefore, at the beginning of the establishment of the national park, a series of ecological compensation measures for community residents were established, such as the establishment of a relatively complete community feedback mechanism (distribution of eco-tourism compensation, job creation, granting of grants) and community franchise mechanism, etc., taking multiple measures to improve the livelihood assets of community residents. It can be seen that remarkable results have been achieved so far. However, what follows is the possible dependence of community residents on ecological compensation (Peng et al., 2020). Future management should improve the livelihood assets of community residents, reduce their dependence on ecological compensation, and further improve their awareness of ecological protection.
4.4 Governance Recommendations
4.4.1 Improve the ability of community participation
It is necessary to fully understand the close relationship between the community and the ecological environment of Potatso National Park, and attract more qualified community residents in the national park to participate in the service, operation and management of the national park. To establish a long-term mechanism for community compensation, it is recommended to learn from the experience of Jiuzhaigou and other protected areas, and guide community residents to invest in Potatso National Park with resources such as forest land and pastures and receive corresponding operating dividends. Further stimulate the enthusiasm of the community to participate in resource protection. Community self-government organizations should be organized to formulate a set of natural resource management systems that the community understands and accepts on the basis of township rules and regulations; establish and improve a joint prevention and co-management system with the community to form a situation of joint protection, mutual supervision, and joint management; implement a variety of Community natural resource management projects, encourage community residents to participate in community resource management projects by means of funds and manpower.
4.4.2 Reimage the community franchise mechanism
In view of the current situation of non-standard specific management models of national parks in Yunnan Province, it is recommended to propose standards as soon as possible. The first is to adopt the franchise mechanism for all business activities in the park, so as to avoid the situation that the park management agency is both an athlete and a referee, which damages the public welfare. The second is to reduce tickets to reflect the public welfare of national parks. To learn from the fact that national parks in the U.S. operate primarily with federal financial support (about 70% of their operating funds), admission fees, franchise revenue, and social donations are only supplements, making all parks affordable (multi-day passes around $10), national access to national parks has become a basic public service. We should have a correct understanding: the "public" of national parks is not only the "public" of public ownership, but also the "public" that benefits the public. That is to say, public welfare is the core of the national park system. Entering the national park must become a basic public service provided by the government, so that the public can form a so-called national common consciousness through the experience of cultural and natural heritage sites without barriers.
4.4.3 Consider the involvement of social institutions
In the co-management system of national parks, international institutions, as stakeholders, play an important role in the management and operation of national parks. The complete publicization of national parks will cause huge economic pressure on government finances (Kwiatkowski G, 2020), so the involvement of private companies, international institutions and other institutions is often recognized by the national park management department.
Drawing on the management experience of many national parks, the management department of Potatso National Park should also actively cooperate with international institutions. At present, it is almost blank in this aspect. Social institutions often have an international perspective, have business cooperation with foreign social institutions or other institutions, or are international institutions themselves. These will help China's PAs to open up international perspectives and introduce international advanced PAs management experience and technology. The professionalism of social institutions has advantages in training the indigenous peoples to participate in conservation and production skills. Training in biodiversity conservation such as field work expertise, use of infrared cameras, etc. In terms of production skills, it includes the training of tourist guides, herdsmen's Chinese proficiency and production skills. The interaction between community institutions and Potatso National Park is precisely the content that is most lacking at present, and needs to be filled urgently in the future construction process.
4.5. Limitations of this study
This study provides an important insight into the use of TPB to explore factors affecting residents' intention toward governence outcomes in national park. Even so, the limitations of this study should be noted.fresearchers would want to hear (Meijer et al., 2015). This occurrence may lead to a more conspicuous social desirability bias and eventually, biased data. This issue is inherent to social surveys (Ajzen, 2011). Countermeasures, including the provision of more detailed explanation before the questionnaire items and encouragement of the residents' to be honest, were implemented to reduce such bias (Bergen & Labonté, 2020; Latkin et al., 2017).
[1]Pudacuo Tourism Branch is the abbreviation of Pudacuo Tourism Branch of Diqing Prefecture Tourism Group Co., Ltd. It was established on July 24, 2007 by Diqing Prefecture Tourism Development Group in Pudacuo National Park. According to the content of local government No. 20 document [2004], the company is solely responsible for the assets, operation and management rights of Pudacuo National Park, and construction of scenic spots. Up to now, the total assets of the company are nearly 346 million yuan, the total liabilities are nearly 186 million yuan, and the asset-liability ratio is 53.75%. There are 342 employees in the park participating in tourism services, 95 operating vehicles and 8 cruise ships.