The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of ecosystem services on residents’ perceptions of circular forestry by measuring expectations and participation behavior intentions. The authors studied a sample of 151 residents living in the vicinity of Mt.Gari’s leading forest management zone. The results indicate that the supply services were the highest among ecosystem services perceptions, and the economy was the highest among expectations, which emphasizes the importance of developing a profit model to expand residents’ voluntary participation. The perceptions of ecosystem services had a significant effect on the residents’ intent to participate in circular forestry, which was measured by their reported expectations. The intention of conformity participation was higher than the intention of voluntary participation. More specifically, the results show residents are most likely to conform with the village representative. Therefore, to persuade residents to participate in future circular forestry, performance information needs to be delivered through village representatives.

[Key Words] circular forestry, ecosystem services, mountain villages, local resident participation, mediating effects