Factors Affecting the Attitude of Operators towards Watershed Activity: A Case Study of Kelestan Watershed Area in Fars Province of Iran

With respect to economic and social effects of watershed management activities, this study aimed at investigating the effective factors on the attitudes of operators in Kelestan watershed area in Fars province of Iran. The Statistical population included 382 operator households in Kelestan village, out of which 97 households were selected in a stratified random sampling method. The factors were estimated by a Logit econometric model. Study results showed that the variables of increase in agricultural efficiency, decrease in damages of roads by floods, increase in waters of springs, and increase in exploiters’ incomes were significantly and positively related to attitudes towards the watershed management activities; and the marginal effects of these variables showed that their increase by one percent would result in an increase in the probability of positive attitude towards watershed management activities by 46, 36, 33, and 29 percent, respectively.