Examination of Female Role in Sustainable Local Development, A Biological Approach in Rangeland rehabilitation Case: International Carbon Sequestration project in Southern Khorasan

The aim of this project is defined based on global, national and local levels in which the local level of this project was conducted to develop and widen participatory development approaches in rangeland rehabilitation, enhancement of Carbon Sequestration and improvement of socio-economic living conditions of local communities. Therefore women empowerment in local communities is a fundamental tool to manage and increase participation of women as managers, rehabilitate rangelands as environmental capital, formulate female rural development groups as social capital, generate women micro economy funds as financial capital and so on. Study of women performance in this research shows that women have had direct participation in seeding production, nursery establishment, planting and irrigation for rangeland rehabilitation through organized groups in Village Development Groups (VDGs). They have also had indirect participation through acceptance of fuel innovations and reduced rangeland degradation by 75%. Through the collection of small savings in micro- credit funds they also have had different economic & productive activities to decrease dependence to livestock and use of rangelands for grazing, which has a major role in livestock & rangelands balance.