The Impact of Establishment of Nature Reserves on the Urban-Rural Income Gap: Evidence from County-Level Analysis in China

While China has seen an economic boom in recent decades, ecological issues are becoming increasingly challenging, with biodiversity seriously threatened. Establishing nature reserves (NRs) is deemed a feasible measure to ease ecological pressure, but few studies have evaluated the impact of the establishment of NRs on the urban-rural income gap. Therefore, based on the county-level panel data from 2010 to 2018, this study analyzed in depth the effects of the establishment of NRs on the urban-rural income gap in China. The results suggested that establishing NRs is beneficial to bridging the income gap between urban and rural areas, especially in the western and the northeastern regions. In contrast to other levels (provincial level, city level, and county level), the establishment of national-level NRs demonstrated a more prominent effect on narrowing the urban-rural income gap. It is thus proposed to improve corresponding laws to strengthen the protection of NRs, especially for those located in the western and northeastern regions, where the increase in eco-economic compensation and development of tourism brands for the ecological tourism industry are of necessity. Taken together, this study provides evidence that the establishment of NRs alleviates the urban-rural income gap in China.