Understanding herder’s perception and adaptation to climate change: an integrated framework

Understanding the motivation and mechanism of adaptation among herdsmen is crucial for climate change research because it can provide insights into the social and ecological impacts of climate change, as well as the potential responses and strategies for mitigation and adaptation. This study investigates how rational and perceptual considerations of climate change influence individual adaptation behavior using an integrated framework based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the protection motivation theory (PMT), as well as climate experience. We conducted a survey among 828 herder households in six counties within the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Gansu Province in China and identified mutual correlations among TPB and PMT constructs, as well as climate-related experiences. Adaptation behaviors are shaped by a process that involves ‘threat perception, rational judgment based on planned experiences, coping perception, and adaptation behavior’ which encompasses both rational and empirical aspects. The perceptual knowledge of herders is gained through rational judgments, which are critical aspects of the adaptation process that can affect rationality and perceptual psychological cognition. Our findings show that climate experience has a more significant effect on climate adaptation behavior than other factors. Additionally, our structural equation modeling confirms the necessity and importance of the integrated framework. This research has significant implications for developing policies that promote climate change adaptation in pastoral areas and for advancing the theoretical framework of adaptation behavior research.