Identification of Challenges and Formulation of Participatory Management Strategies of Zagros Forests Using ANP-SWOT Combination Model: A Case Study of Forest Area of Bankoul in Ilam, Iran

Over recent decades, forests of Zagros vegetative area have been exposed to various dangers and severely destroyed in recent years. Today, the importance of local stakeholders’ participation for the preservation and regeneration of forest areas is inxreasingly evident in diferrent executive and research administrations. Therefore, this study was accomplished based on Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) method and for the evaluation of the rural people's participation in the planning and management process of the Bankoul forest area in Ilam province of the country. Research data were collected through techniques such as brainstorming, group discussion and semi-structured questionnaire. Then, using SWOT and ANP methods, the factors were evaluated and the strategies were prioritized. The statistical population consisted of three villages in the studied area. In this study, using the SWOT method, first, strengths and weaknesses (internal factors) and opportunities and threats (external factors) were identified; then, eight participatory management strategies of the Bankoul forest area were formulated, out of which conservative strategies (the assignment of forest areas management to beneficiaries and the development of exploitation cooperatives from forest) with a total score of 0.212 were selected as superior strategies. In addition, competitive strategies with 0.145, offensive strategies with 0.116, and defensive strategies with 0.098, were placed in the next ranks, respectively.