Improved conservation efforts in China have contributed to the recovery and range expansion of the Asian elephant, increasing spatial overlap between humans and elephants and intensifying the pressure of human–elephant coexistence. Understanding human tolerance toward Asian elephants has therefore become an important pathway for promoting conservation and coexistence. Using survey data from 873 farm households collected in Xishuangbanna Prefecture and Pu’er City in Yunnan Province, this study measures tolerance toward Asian elephants across five dimensions: types of elephant-related damage, economic loss, population size, spatial distance, and activity frequency. Independent-sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA and ANCOVA were used to examine differences in tolerance among different groups of farm households. The results show that: (1) the overall tolerance toward Asian elephants among farm households is relatively low (mean = 2.40); (2) within types of elephant-related damage, tolerance is lowest for crop loss and cash crop loss, followed by loss of working time and risk of human injury, while tolerance is relatively higher for damage to houses and property, loss of stored food, and damage to vehicles; (3) farm households showed low levels of tolerance across the dimensions of economic loss, population size, spatial distance, and activity frequency; (4) higher tolerance is observed among male respondents, Dai farm households, those engaged in wildlife protection-related occupations, and households located in Pu’er City, and tolerance increased as cultivated land area decreased, household income increased, and agricultural dependence declined. These findings provide empirical evidence for understanding farm households’ tolerance toward Asian elephants and offer policy insights for improving tolerance, optimizing human–elephant conflict (HEC) management, and promoting the social sustainability of human–elephant coexistence. The study also contributes China-based evidence to discussions on flagship species conservation and community coexistence under the SDG 15 and CBD frameworks.

In areas with frequent wildlife activity, coordinating biodiversity conservation with agricultural production is a critical issue for achieving agricultural sustainability. This study uses farm household survey data collected in 2022 from Asian elephant distribution areas in Yunnan Province, China. It systematically evaluates the effects of Human–Elephant Conflict (HEC) and the wildlife damage compensation policy on farm households’ farmland use behavior. Focusing on farmland adjustment behavior under the context of biodiversity conservation, we develop an analytical framework of “HEC–policy intervention–farm household farmland use behavior.” Using survey data from 1276 farm households, we examine the effects of HEC on farmland transfer-out and farmland abandonment. We also analyze the moderating role of the wildlife damage compensation policy. In addition, we explore the heterogeneity between areas inside and outside nature reserves. The results show that: (1) HEC significantly increase the likelihood of farmland transfer-out and farmland abandonment among farm households; (2) the wildlife damage compensation policy partially mitigates the positive effects of HEC on farmland transfer-out and farmland abandonment; and (3) the effects of HEC on farmland transfer-out and farmland abandonment are more pronounced for farm households outside nature reserves. The wildlife damage compensation policy shows a stronger inhibitory effect on farmland transfer-out inside nature reserves. In contrast, it has a stronger inhibitory effect on farmland abandonment outside nature reserves. From the perspective of farmland use, this study reveals how HEC and policy intervention influence farm households’ farmland allocation behavior. It also provides empirical evidence for improving wildlife damage compensation mechanisms. In addition, the findings help promote synergy between agricultural sustainability and biodiversity conservation.

Against the backdrop of rising uncertainty in global timber supply and increasing volatility in international timber prices, understanding whether and how property-rights reforms can stimulate timber supply growth is of both theoretical and policy importance. Using provincial panel data from China for the period 2000–2022, this study employs a double machine learning approach to examine the impact of the New Round of Collective Forest Tenure Reform (NRCFTR) on domestic timber supply expansion. The results show that the NRCFTR significantly increases domestic timber supply, and this finding remains robust across a series of tests. Mechanism analysis indicates that the NRCFTR promotes timber supply expansion by facilitating scaled forestland management, optimizing labor allocation, and encouraging diversified capital investment, thereby improving the allocation efficiency of forestry production factors. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the positive effect of the NRCFTR is more pronounced in regions with lower rural household income, southern collective forest regions, and early reform pilot areas. Further analysis shows that the NRCFTR not only expands domestic timber supply but also reduces dependence on timber imports and mitigates imported timber price volatility, suggesting that its policy effects extend beyond output growth to the enhancement of timber security. This study provides empirical evidence on the resource-supply effects of forestry property-rights reform and offers policy implications for deepening collective forest tenure reform, strengthening domestic timber supply capacity, and safeguarding national timber security.