I behave environmentally; we conserve collectively: the mediating role of perceived collective existence in tourists' forest conservation behavior.

Forest ecosystems represent essential resources for ecotourism development, yet their long-term sustainability depends largely on the conservation behaviors of visitors. Although collective psychological processes have received substantial attention in environmental and social research, less is known about how individuals' perception of co-existence within a shared human-environment system such as forests contributes to conservation behavior. Addressing this gap, the present study developed a conceptual framework that integrates collective awareness of environmental impact, perceived social interdependence, perceived shared responsibility, social norms, and perceived collective existence to explain forest conservation behavior in forest-based ecotourism destinations. Data were collected from 418 forest ecotourists in Iran and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings indicated that the components of framework showed significant positive associations with forest conservation behavior. In addition, these antecedents significantly enhanced perceived collective existence, which positively influenced conservation behavior. Perceived collective existence showed complementary mediation in all examined relationships, suggesting that awareness and social influences are translated into conservation actions not only directly but also through collective psychological processes. Among the examined antecedents, perceived shared responsibility exhibited the highest total association with forest conservation behavior (β = 0.349). The findings highlight the importance of collective-oriented psychological processes in promoting conservation behavior within forest-based ecotourism contexts. By empirically positioning perceived collective existence as a complementary psychological pathway linking collective perceptions and social processes to forest conservation behavior, this study extends existing explanations of conservation behavior toward a more explicitly relational human-environment perspective.The results further suggest that conservation initiatives in forest ecotourism destinations may be strengthened by fostering collective responsibility, social connectedness, and shared perceptions of environmental stewardship among visitors.