Iranian Journal of Forest

Iranian Journal of Forest

Factors affecting the participation of local communities in rehabilitation of degraded Forestlands project in Rigan County, Kerman Province

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
1 MSc. Student of Agricultural Extension, Faculty of Agricultural Management, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, I. R. Iran
2 Associate Prof., Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agricultural Management, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, I. R. Iran
3 Associate Prof., Department of Rangeland Management, Faculty of Environment, Rangeland and Watershed Management, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, I. R. Iran
Abstract
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.
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Volume 9, Issue 4
Winter 2018
Pages 555-570

  • Receive Date 09 August 2016
  • Revise Date 23 June 2017
  • Accept Date 29 July 2017