Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Ebrahim Atarod ¹
• Qodratollah Heydari ²
• Jamshid Ghorbani ³
• Alibeman Mirjalili ⁴

¹ Ph.d student Rangeland Science Sari Natural Resources Department, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran.

² Associate Prof, Faculty of Member Sari Natural Resources Department, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran

³ Associate Prof, Faculty of Member Sari Natural Resources Department, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran.

⁴ Researcher, Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Department, Yazd Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Training Center, Organization of Research, Education and Agricultural Extension, Yazd, Iran

Abstract

In the rural society, various factors play a role in the participation of local communities in the conservation of natural resources. Among them stakeholders have the central role as participation plays an important role. Natural resources are considered as one of the main economical sources and their restoration and conservation are considered as the base for human activities for the current and future generations. These factors include social factors, economical factors and cultural factors, which are known as norms. Most experts believe that participation is the main and determining factor in the process of growth and development in developed and developing societies. Therefore, in order to prevent the degradation of rangelands, a comprehensive plan must be designed by various organizations and departments to monitor the exploitation and utilization of rangelands and this depends on the participation of the stakeholders. In order to protect and restore rangelands, organizations must be aware of the norms that affect local collaborative behaviors. The aim of this study is to identify the norms that influence the pastoralists participation and to determine the contribution of each of their components in the conservation of Nodushan rangelands, Yazd province. In this study we assessed the impact of norms including social, economical and cultural factors as independent variables on the amount of pastoralists participation as a dependent variable. The method was descriptive-analytical in the form of a questionnaire based on a five-option Likert scale. The sample size included 104 pastoralists and random sampling. After checking the reliability and validity of the questionnaire, the path analysis method was used to rank the independent variables. The results showed that the social factor with 0.857, the economic factor with 0.633 and the cultural factor with 0.144 had the greatest total impact and also the direct and indirect impact on the pastoralists' participation. The method of exploitation in rangelands, the amount of income of pastoralists, and the awareness and experience of pastoralists had the first priority. Spearman's correlation coefficient between independent variables and pastoralists' participation showed that the social factor and the economical factor have a positive and significant correlation coefficient with the dependent variable of pastoralists' participation. Therefore, it was suggested that the social and economical factors should be considered as the most important indicators of attracting pastoralists participation in planning for restoration of rangelands.

Keywords

• Norm
• Path analysis
• Pastoralists
• Questionnaire