Determining the effective factors on the participation of watershed residents in watershed management plans and analyzing their relationship (Case study: Great Naein River Basin, Isfahan Province)

Due to the importance of conservation of natural resources, the development of strategies for the protection and exploitation of these resources is felt as a fundamental necessity more than ever. People's participation in any project guarantees the implementation and sustainability of that project. This issue is more important in the protection of natural resources, because issues related to the environment and natural resources are intertwined with the lives of communities, and the success of any program will require the participation of these communities, so the role of people in decision-making, Planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating any conservation plan is of critical importance. Therefore, an appropriate management system to protect these areas should be according to the management which is based on the participation of local communities. In other words, the main strategy to implement sustainable development in the field of renewable natural resources is to emphasize the factors that call for the participation of local communities. Studies on the participation of watershed residents in watershed management projects show that if the executive activities are carried out without the presence of the people, they do not take responsibility for the maintenance of the projects and therefore do not make any effort to eliminate their defects. In other words, people greatly increase their efficiency by engaging in such plans and programs (watershed management). In general, the success or failure of watershed management projects should be sought in the presence or absence of people. However, paying attention to determining the factors affecting the participation of watershed residents in watershed management projects and analyzing their relationship is an inevitable necessity. Therefore, the general purpose of the present descriptive-correlational study is to determine the factors affecting the participation of watershed residents in watershed management plans and analyze their relationship in the watershed of the great river of Naein.

Naein Great River Basin with an area of about 130,000 hectares between 32 degrees and 45 minutes and 18 seconds to 33 degrees and 09 minutes and 20 seconds north latitude and 52 degrees and 29 minutes and 18 seconds to 53 degrees and 05 minutes and 41 seconds is east of the Greenwich meridian. The minimum height of this basin is 1552 meters and the maximum height is 3094 meters (Figure 1). This watershed is located in Naein city of Isfahan province in terms of country divisions and includes two villages of Koohestan and Baharestan and 41 inhabited villages with a population of about 2298 people. The questionnaire was the data collection tool of this research, the apparent validity of which was examined by a group of experts including professors of watershed science and engineering and experts of the Jihad-e-Agriculture and Natural Resources Department, after which the necessary corrections were made accordingly. Its reliability coefficient was obtained between SPSS software and Cronbach's alpha method between 0.866 and 0.920. The statistical population of the present study consisted of watershed inhabitants living in the Naein Great River Basin of Isfahan Province (N = 2298). Of these, 476 people were selected as a statistical sample using Cochran's formula by random sampling method. Finally, 476 complete questionnaires were submitted and analyzed.

The results of Pearson correlation test showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between economic factors and the willingness of watershed residents to participate in watershed management projects (direct-strong correlation). It seems that in this watershed, the financial conditions and economic power of watershed residents are somewhat equal and at a moderate level. In such circumstances, providing low-interest facilities and credits can greatly strengthen the incentive for watershed residents to participate in watershed management projects. The results of Spearman correlation test showed that there is a positive and significant relationship (direct-severe correlation) between communication factors and information sources with the desire of watershed residents to participate in watershed management projects. The results of Kendall Tao test of each of the items of communication factors and information sources with the willingness of watershed residents to participate in watershed management projects showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between all indicators with the willingness to participate in watershed management projects. In other words, the more communication factors and information resources such as training classes, local leaders, experts, visiting other projects, radio, television, etc. are used, the more watershed residents will participate in watershed management projects. Therefore, it can be said that by promoting mass and social media, holding training classes, visiting other successful projects, etc. the amount of participation in watershed management projects can be increased. Also, according to the findings of the present study, the most important social factors affecting the participation of watershed residents in the Naein River Basin include the motivation of watershed participants to participate in future projects, the ability of local councils, encouraging friends, acquaintances and experts, the impact of educational and extension services, the awareness of watershed residents, the tendency to work collectively, and the impact of work experience. Also, the most important individual factors influencing the participation of watershed residents in the Naein Great River Basin include gender, age, and education. Therefore, special attention should be paid to these factors in the agenda of natural resource planners and specialists. For example, local councils can be used to involve watershed residents in watershed management projects.

In general, the findings of this study on the effects of social factors, economic factors, communication factors, information resources and variables of individual factors and their characteristics (land size, capacity of local councils, impact of local knowledge use, visiting other projects, experts’ information dissemination, etc.) show that these factors influence the participation of watershed residents in watershed management projects, and since these factors and items have severe effects on the desire of watershed residents to participate in watershed management projects, paying attention to these cases can help us improve watershed management projects, which requires that experts and the government pay special attention to the watershed dwellers living in the basin.