The role of social capital in encouraging residents' pro-environmental behaviors in community-based ecotourism

• Integrates concepts of social capital with community-based ecotourism research.
• A reciprocal relationship exists between community members as beneficiaries and the nature of ecotourism.
• Economic benefits have a direct impact on residents' pro-environmental behaviors.
• Cognitive social capital, rather than structural social capital, has partial-mediation effects.
• High levels of social capital encourages residents' pro-environmental behaviors.

This study integrated the theoretical perspective of social capital into community-based ecotourism (CBET). Two destinations were selected to test the conceptual model to see whether social capital improves cooperation between community residents and the coordination of CBET development, and whether its role is persuasive and encourages residents' pro-environmental behaviors. The sample consisted of 420 residents living in two typical ecotourism destinations in China. Findings from a two-stage structural equation model analysis show that economic benefits have a direct impact on residents' pro-environmental behaviors; and the cognitive, rather than structural social capital has a partially mediating effects on this relationship. These findings indicate that a high level of social capital, particularly the cognitive variant, is instrumental in encouraging residents' pro-environmental behaviors.