Recreation Value, Place Attachment and Pro-environment Behaviors of Chengdu Field Research Center for Giant Pandas in Chengdu Panda Base

Using structural equation model, this study investigated the cognitive structural relationship between recreation value, place attachment and pro-environment behavioral (PEB) intentions of Chinese domestic tourists with the visit to the “Panda Valley” (Chengdu Field Research Center for Giant Pandas of CRBGPB), Dujianyang, Sichuan. The study utilized empirical design to collect 311 questionnaires from September 10, 2018 to January 13, 2019. The results showed that: (1) Local attachment could be divided into local identity and local dependence, and environmental protection behavior could be divided into two dimensions: active environmental protection behavior and compliance behavior. (2) Recreation value had a direct and significant positive impact on variables of place attachment, while recreational value had a direct and significant positive impact on compliance environmental protection behavior and active environmental protection behavior, suggesting that recreation value affected the intensity of their place attachment and pro-environment behavioral intentions. Place attachment had no direct effect on pro-environment behavior, and recreation value would not affect environmental protection behavior through place attachment. These findings with important practical significance for promoting the coordinated development of ecological environment protection and recreation activities, and ultimately accelerating the construction of Sichuan Giant Panda National Park.