Utilizing public participation in protecting and restoring the natural resources is considered as a milestone. So the emphasis on public participation in decision-making of natural resources conservation is the solution. The aim of this research was to determine the affecting factors on local communities’ participation in the rehabilitation of degraded forestlands project in Rigan County, Kerman Province. Using descriptive research and survey technique, 360 of the participants in the project were randomly selected. Data were collected through a questionnaire which its validity and reliability were confirmed by a pilot study. The correlation test showed that there is a significant and positive relationship between variables of education level, farm, and garden size and social norms, and a negative relationship between social capital, cultural capital and participation of local communities in the project. The regression analysis showed that 38 percent of participation variability was explained by the variables such as cultural capital, social capital, farm size, number of sheep and amount of monthly income. This study recommended more communication with the local community by experts and more attention to the participation of certain groups such as women in the project.