Ziyuan Kexue (Aug 2024)
Drivers of the formation of collaborative network between herdsmen in rangeland governance: From the perspective of ecological fit
Abstract
[Objective] Collaborative governance is increasingly important in coping with complex grassland resource and environmental problems under dynamic changes, but the effectiveness of governance also depends partly on the fit between the governing and governed systems, thus there is a need to embed a fit perspective for advancing the scientific understanding of the formation mechanism of collaborative governance network. [Methods] Based on the first-hand data from surveys conducted in 2020 and 2022 at Yangrang Village, Gonghe County, Qinghai Province, we constructed the social-ecological network of herders and rangeland using multilevel network and minimum building block methods, and further empirically examined the role of structural, actor attribute, covariate, and fit effects in the formation of collaborative governance network among herders using the multilevel exponential random graph model based on the description of the basic characteristics of the network. [Results] (1) The collaborative network is characterized by low density and high centralization, and each herder has two collaborative ties on average. (2) Among the structural effects, only ties closure promotes the formation of collaborative network, i.e., collaborative ties are more likely to be established between herders who share a common collaborative partner. (3) In the actor attribute effects, the activity effect is stronger than the homophily effect. For the former, social status, years of education and managed pastureland area all have a positive effect on the formation of collaborative ties; for the latter, collaborative ties are more likely to be established between herders with similar numbers of livestock. (4) Affective network has an entraining effect on the establishment of collaborative network, suggesting that collaborative ties are more likely to be established between herders with kinship or close blood ties. (5) Among the ecological fit effects, only sharing fit has a significant effect on the formation of collaborative network. [Conclusion] There is still much room for improvement in the collaborative governance of rangeland resources for herders. It is desirable to promote the establishment of collaboration among herders with similar capabilities and resources while letting self-organization and affective dependence play a role, and to make full use of the path of resource sharing to cultivate and develop collaborative governance. In addition, awareness and understanding of the ecological changes in grasslands and ecological linkages of pastures should be strengthened, and herders should be guided and encouraged to collaborate in solving the problem related to scale fit, in order to help herders break through path dependence and enhance the pathways and effectiveness of collaborative governance.
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