Network Analysis of Local Stakeholders and Social Cohesion in the Participatory Management of Water Resources (Case Study: Myanjangal Watershed, Fasa City)

Human being as one of the main factors affecting water resources has important and decisive role in water resources stability. Relation between human as stakeholder with natural ecosystem should be an important issue in policy and integrated water resource management. Accordingly, for successful water resources management, there is a need for shift toward collaborative management. One of the important social theories in relation to the management of natural resources, especially water resources, is social capital. Important aspect of this issue, trust and collaboration are the most important factors in social networks. Other issue that will be discussed in this research is social cohesion, which is related to a group or community relations together. The goal of this study is to analyze the structure of social relations between local beneficiaries of water resources within ecological boundaries of Valiabad village, with an emphasis on trust and collaboration and macro-level indicators of social networks. According to results of this research, based on network density, the cohesion and social capital in local stakeholder network of water resources in the village, based on trust component is average and based on collaboration is weak, and this represents a challenge for water resources policies in the region that should increase cohesion and social capital with strengthening trust and especially collaboration to be successful in water resources co management.