Research on farmers’ satisfaction with ecological restoration performance in coal mining areas based on fuzzy comprehensive evaluation

The evaluation of farmers’ satisfaction is very important in the planning, construction, and management of ecological restoration in coal mining areas. Taking coal mining areas with high ground-water level in China (Jining, Huainan, and Yongxia) as examples, this study set up a farmers’ satisfaction with ecological restoration performance evaluation index system in coal mining areas. We used the questionnaire survey method, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method and the IPA to evaluate the degree of farmers’ satisfaction. The results show that the overall farmers’ satisfaction score was 3.692, which corresponded to “basically satisfied.” The ecological performance satisfaction score was the highest, which translated to “relatively satisfied,” and the economic performance satisfaction score was the lowest, which indicated “basically satisfied.” The evaluation of social performance satisfaction was “basically satisfied.” The IPA revealed that biodiversity, land productivity, and regional farmers’ income in the indicator layer were located in the high importance–low satisfaction quadrant and urgently needed to be improved. According to the results of IPA analysis, we put forward the strategy respectively from the policies improvement, supervision and management, public participation, technology innovation, and functional transformation. The results can provide theoretical guidance and practical reference for ecological restoration and ecological civilization construction, and contribute to the sustainable development of ecological environment in the coal mining areas.