<p>Stimulating the active engagement of rural populations in ecological restoration is a critical cornerstone for sustaining rural revitalization and fostering long-term sustainable development. While previous literature has primarily treated ecological knowledge and environmental policy cognition as isolated antecedents of green behavior, sparse evidence clarifies the internal cognitive mechanisms translating knowledge into concrete ecological practice. Utilizing micro-level household survey insights gathered from 630 rural across Hainan Province, this paper systematically investigates the intricate nexus connecting ecological knowledge, policy cognition, and restoration participation within an ordered probit framework. The empirical findings reveal that enhanced ecological knowledge significantly escalates residents’ propensity to participate in restoration activities, though the marginal returns exhibit substantial heterogeneity across natural, production, and living knowledge dimensions. Furthermore, policy cognition serves as an indispensable transmission channel that bridges the gap between knowledge accumulation and final behavioral responses. Notably, the positive correlation between ecological knowledge and restoration practices is substantially amplified among cohorts characterized by advanced educational attainments, Communist Party membership, and heightened risk-bearing preferences. This study offers granular micro-evidence on how cognitive attributes interact to govern ecological choices, yielding targeted policy references for optimizing state-led environmental governance in rural China.</p>