Wetlands Conservation Through CEPA Program, a Case Study of Hashilan Wetland in Kermanshah

Although wetlands were once considered the best recreation areas in Iran, nowadays many of them have dried up and disappeared due to many factors such as ineffective management, human-wetland conflict, social conflicts, and natural phenomena. The present article has been carried out as an attempt to organize Heshilan Wetland in Kermanshah province, Iran, through capacity building and social engagement, based on the findings from the implementation of the Heshilan Wetland Management Plan with a social capacity building approach. The research method is a partnership approach with the function of research in practice. The statistical population of the research is local and government institutions as well as women and men of the villages around the Wetland, especially the villagers of Heshilan. To organize the Heshilan wetland, the CEPA (Communication, Education, and Public Awareness) tool was used as a tool for capacity building and social participation. A festival and some educational workshops were held for the people of Heshilan village in order to communicate with the community and local and government institutions and to highlight the importance of the Wetland. Moreover, some meetings were arranged with local trustees and they were investigated through a questionnaire, in line with the presentation of strategic plans. SWOT technique was used and data were analyzed with SPSS26 software. According to the results, establishing communication, training, and awareness were the most important effective factors to conserve and support the Wetland. Furthermore, ecotourism development and sustainable utilization can play an important role in empowering rural youth, earning a sustainable income, and providing the basis to reduce their migration to the surrounding areas.