Environmental concern and pro-environmental behavior among residents in an oil palm cultivating hotspot

Oil palm is the most significant boom crop in Southeast Asia and associated with tremendous negative environmental effects. These environmental effects can influence the environmental concern (EC) and pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of the local population in different ways. While various research has investigated rural-urban differences for EC and PEB, evidence is missing for societies in the Global South where rural and urban populations face similar environmental problems. This paper addresses the questions of what influences EC and PEB of residents living in a hotspot for oil palm cultivation with a special focus on the geographical residence in Indonesia. Our results from OLS regressions show that overall, rural residents directly involved in oil palm cultivation tend to be more concerned than the urban respondents. This is true for general EC, as well as for the oil palm-related EC, which points towards oil palm farmers being aware of the environmental repercussions of oil palm plantations. We also find that connectedness with nature, connectedness with oil palms, and preferences for homogenized landscapes are important factors that are correlated with EC. PEB is measured in terms of donations made to a local environmental organization. Our results, first of all, show strong positive correlations between EC measures and PEB. Furthermore, results reveal that rural respondents make significantly higher donations. In addition, a higher connectedness with oil palms decreases donations among our respondents, while the hours participated in other environmental activities correlate positively with donations.