Specialists’ views on local communities’ participation in the biodiversity conservation interventions of the Sorkhabad Protected Area in the Zanjan Province

Participatory management is one of biodiversity conservation approaches. This research assesses specialists’ views on local communities’ participation in biodiversity conservation activities using a mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology. Before quantitative research, an exploratory qualitative stage was conducted and a sample of 32 specialists from the Environment Administration, the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Administration, the Agriculture-Jahad Organization, and the Research and Education Center of Agriculture and Natural Resources in the Zanjan Province, Zanjan and Tarom Townships, and their relevant counties and sub-counties of the Sorkhabad Protected Area, were selected through the purposeful sampling technique. Qualitative data collection was done through semi-structured interviews about indicators of biodiversity conservation activities in the region. In quantitative part, a descriptive-correlational survey was conducted to collect data by a self-completion questionnaire. The results showed that the communities have mostly participated in biodiversity conservation activities in a passive way (manipulated involvement) and at the informing level, while the higher levels of participation have been neglected. Moreover, a significantly positive relationship existed between participation in knowledge-improving measures and its implementation, and between the participation in diversification and livelihood-improving measures and its implementation. It is essential to implement biodiversity conservation and management by a comprehensive and multi-dimensional governance, strengthening local communities’ participation, and coordinating the activities of various organizations and actors to conserve and restore ecosystems and species of protected areas.