Evaluation stage of the comprehensive forest safeguarding policy implementation in the Hyrcanian forests of Guilan province

One of the most important concerns of policymakers is to achieve policy goals, which can be measured through evaluation. Evaluation and monitoring of policy implementation play a significant role in enhancing public awareness, promoting learning about the policies, and ensuring accountability of bureaucrats. By strengthening the evaluation and monitoring process, policymakers can improve the policymaking process and implementation, as well as enhance shared knowledge of policymaking among the involved organizations. This paper focused on the evaluation stage of implementing the Comprehensive Forest Safeguarding Policy (CFSP) in the Hyrcanian forests, Guilan province, Iran. The research employed a qualitative approach and field research methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 experts from the General Administration of Natural Resources and Watershed Management (GANRWM), the General Administration of Environment (GAE), and the Management and Planning Organization (MPO) of Guilan Province using chain sampling. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the interviews, and 26 themes related to monitoring and evaluation were identified. The findings indicate that there was no third-party evaluation in assessing the implementation of CFSP in Guilan province. Weak capacity for evaluation and monitoring, the merger of the country's MPO with other presidential organizations in the last decade, and the deficiency of intersectoral cooperation and coordination, particularly between the GANRWM and GAE of Guilan province, have been among the reasons for the failure in a comprehensive evaluation of this program. The evaluation of forest policy implementation should be conducted based on scientific methodology by a third group independent of the executive and policymaking bodies.