نوع مقاله : مقاله برگرفته از پایان نامه
نویسندگان
1 دانشیار گروه جغرافیای انسانی، دانشکده جغرافیا، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران.
2 گروه جغرافیای انسانی، دانشکده جغرافیا، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران.
3 استاد گروه جغرافیای انسانی، دانشکده جغرافیا، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران.
چکیده
کلیدواژه‌ها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Introduction
In recent years, the Dena Biosphere Reserve, the tenth to be designated in Iran, has experienced substantial ecological degradation as a result of unsustainable exploitation. Currently, approximately half of its territory is designated as a nationally protected area, while the remainder remains outside any formal conservation framework. The region holds exceptional conservation value due to its diversity of rare, endemic, vulnerable, and endangered plant and animal species.
Key threats to the region’s forest and rangeland ecosystems include land-use conversion, inefficient irrigation practices, absence of crop pattern management, neglect of crop rotation and diversification, inadequate waste disposal, unsustainable harvesting and commercialization of medicinal and edible plants, illegal trapping and hunting of wildlife, insufficient legal protection for rangers, and the adverse impacts of traditional agricultural practices. In addition, the region’s forests have been exposed to compounding ecological stressors, including declining rainfall, dust storms, pest outbreaks, plant diseases, and forest dieback.
Limited governmental capacity to safeguard natural resources has made the involvement of local communities essential for forest restoration and conservation. Located at the core of the Zagros Protected Area and encompassed by the Dena Reserve, Dena County exhibits ecological and socio-territorial characteristics that distinguish it from other regions of the country. Moreover, the rural population’s high dependence on natural resources for subsistence and livelihoods accentuates the urgency of developing effective forest and rangeland management strategies. Accordingly, in light of the ecological significance of forests and rangelands and the critical role of participatory governance in their sustainable management, this study seeks to identify and evaluate the most influential factors shaping participatory management of these resources in the rural context of Dena County.
Methodology
This study adopts a descriptive-analytical design and a quantitative survey to explore the factors that shape community-based participatory management of forests and rangelands in Dena County, Iran. The statistical population comprises all inhabited villages in the county. Of the 90 villages containing ten or more households, 30 settlements, and 485 individual respondents, were selected through stratified proportional sampling.
Research components and indicators were identified via a systematic review of the pertinent literature. Fourteen factors served as independent variables, while 21 items, organized into five dimensions (decision-making, planning, implementation, monitoring, and utilization) that operationalize forest-and-rangeland management, were aggregated as the dependent construct of participatory management. Data were gathered with a structured questionnaire. Reliability tests yielded Cronbach’s alpha coefficients above 0.70 for all factors, and content validity was endorsed by a panel of 37 experts. Multiple-linear regression and path analysis were performed to estimate the magnitude and significance of each factor’s effect on participatory forest-and-rangeland management.
Results
The results of the path analysis of direct and indirect effects reveal that social responsibility exerts the strongest influence on participatory management of forests and rangelands in the rural areas of Dena County, with a total effect score of 2.91.
This is followed by the factors of social networks (1.47), personal characteristics (1.39), transparency (1.35), social trust (1.33), managerial decision-making (0.98), leadership capacity (0.97), accountability (0.95), norms (0.90), legality (0.68), economic conditions (0.57), social knowledge (0.44), policy frameworks (0.35), and environmental awareness (0.32).
These variables were identified as the most influential determinants of participatory forest and rangeland management in the rural context of Dena County.
discussion
Social responsibility emerged as the most influential driver of participatory forest- and rangeland-management among rural communities. The findings suggest that a strong sense of responsibility fosters local self-reliance, prompting villagers to apply expert-endorsed silvicultural and ecological restoration practices while still accommodating state oversight. These insights carry clear policy implications: decentralized forest-governance arrangements must first identify the poorest and most vulnerable households and then craft regulations that explicitly safeguard their interests. Achieving this goal demands an enabling socio-economic, cultural, and political environment so that decentralized management generates inclusive benefits for the whole community. Consequently, local communities welcome participatory, or decentralized, forestry because it allows them to shape decisions on forest use, livelihood strategies, and the commercialization of forest products. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of such schemes hinges on equitable participation and fair benefit-sharing within the community.
Conclusion
The findings of this study indicate that all identified factors hold significance, although their levels of influence vary. Furthermore, each of these influential indicators may act as a catalyst or prerequisite for the effectiveness of other factors. Therefore, forest and natural resource management plans must prioritize participatory management. Moreover, enhancing the participation of women and marginalized groups in forest and rangeland management decision-making is essential to guarantee equitable benefits for all stakeholders. This study highlights the necessity of transitioning from a top-down forest conservation approach to a more inclusive model engaging all societal members throughout every stage of forest and rangeland management. Such a transition is anticipated to promote sustainable forest and rangeland conditions and improve livelihood opportunities for rural communities.
کلیدواژه‌ها [English]
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