Experts' perspectives on the impact of government policies and unsustainable use by rural communities on rangeland degradation in Zanjan province

Multiple factors have contributed to rangeland degradation. The present research aims to investigate the impact of policies and interventions by local communities on rangeland reduction through a qualitative approach utilizing the grounded theory method. The participants included 17 experts in natural resources, environment, and agriculture from Zanjan Province, selected purposively and interviewed using a snowball method until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis employing open, axial, and selective coding yielded 427 concepts, which were categorized into 203 initial, 51 principal, and 8 core categories. The core categories encompassed: the decrease in rangeland area and increase in cropland area, the influence of government policies on rural lands and rangelands, shifts in rural socio-economic and farming systems, the impact of human interventions on rangeland degradation, the role of institutions in rangeland conservation, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources by rural communities, changes in rural land ownership, and the effect of collective utilization on rangeland degradation. The paradigmatic model centered around the central phenomenon of the research, "decrease in rangeland area and increase in cropland area," particularly post the 1980s. Government land policies, notably the nationalization of natural resources and land reforms, have significantly contributed to qualitative changes in rangelands, shifts in land ownership, reductions in rangeland area, and expansion of cropland. These changes have triggered shifts in socio-economic systems and land-use patterns in rural areas. Human interventions, especially population growth in rural areas and the intensified livestock population exceeding rangeland capacity, emerge as the most influential factors driving land-use changes, rangeland diminution, and degradation.