A dual-pathway toward livelihood resilience in China’s Giant Panda National Park communities

Abstract

Globally, communities in and around protected areas often confront livelihood disruptions driven by conservation and development pressures, making resilience essential to effective governance. This study examines two pathways to livelihood resilience in communities within and at the gateway of the Giant Panda National Park in Sichuan, China. Drawing on a comparative case study of Luoyigou and Yinping villages, semi-structured interviews (n = 39) and questionnaires (n = 92), we develop a dual framework of inherent and learned resilience. Inherent resilience stems from structural conditions, including ecological resources, infrastructure, and institutional arrangements, whereas learned resilience develops through adaptive processes including social learning, network expansion, and knowledge co-production. Resilience emerges from the interplay between these structural endowments and adaptive capacities, generating distinct livelihood trajectories. Yinping builds resilience through tourism training, market integration, and external partnerships, whereas Luoyigou relies on ecological assets and collective institutions. By integrating structural conditions with human agency, this study advances livelihood resilience theory in conservation–tourism contexts while offering practical insights for protected area governance.