Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 University of Zanjan

2 Associate Professor of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran, Associate Professor of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Zanjan, Iran.

3 Economics and Social Sciences, Social Sciences in Landscape Research, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL Zürcherstrasse

Abstract

The Carbon Sequestration Project has been an important international initiative for natural resources management and climate change reduction measures over the past two decades.It has tried to involve rural households in all stages of the project to achieve environmental, economic,social and human goals. A number of factors can affect relevant stakeholders’ participation in carbon sequestration project activities.This study aimed to investigate the socio-economic factors affecting the participation of rural households in the Qom province, using a survey with a descriptive-correlational approach. A sample of 265 households out of 840 rural households was selected using a simple random sampling method in five villages where this project was implemented.The data were collected using a structured interview technique by a questionnaire and analyzed using the SPSS22 and AMOS software.The results showed that rural people had highly been involved in the less active participation stages, such as expert consultation with council members and village elders, where as they had poor contribution to the projects through collaborative or spontaneous involvements.The most important factors affecting the participation of rural households in the carbon sequestration project were identified to be variables such as social capitals; extension programs; implemented conservation projects; agricultural and non-agricultural diversification initiatives in carbon sequestration projects; the land area of households’ permanent crop; and their agricultural income.Promoting social capital through extension programs, and applying a combination of conservation and livelihood diversification measures can not only strengthen the participation of rural communities in natural resource management projects but also increase the success of these projects.

Keywords

[1] Anderson, S. J., Ankor, B. L. and Sutton, P. C .(2017). Ecosystem service valuations of South Africa using a variety of land cover data sources and resolutions. Ecosystem Services, 27, 173-178.
[2] Armitage, D. (2005). Adaptive Capacity and Community-Based Natural Resource Management. Environmental Management, 35(6), 703-715.
[3] Baral, H., Keenan, R. J., Sharma, S. K., Stork, N. E. and Kasel, S. (2014). Economic evaluation of ecosystem goods and services under different landscape management scenarios. Land Use Policy, 39, 54-64.
[4] Bastian, O., Haase, D. and Grunewald, K. (2012). Ecosystem properties, potentials and services – The EPPS conceptual framework and an urban application example. Ecological Indicators, 21, 7-16.
[5] Bhandari, P., Kc, M., Shrestha, S., Aryal, A. and Shrestha, U. B. (2016). Assessments of ecosystem service indicators and stakeholder's willingness to pay for selected ecosystem services in the Chure region of Nepal. Applied Geography, 69, 25-34.
[6] Danish, Baloch, M. A., Mahmood, N. and Zhang, J. W. (2019). Effect of natural resources, renewable energy and economic development on CO2 emissions in BRICS countries. Science of The Total Environment, 678, 632-638.
[7] de Groot, R. S., Alkemade, R., Braat, L., Hein, L. and Willemen, L. (2010). Challenges in integrating the concept of ecosystem services and values in landscape planning, management and decision making. Ecological Complexity, 7(3), 260-272.
[8] De Koning, F., Aguiñaga, M., Bravo, M., Chiu, M., Lascano, M., Lozada, T. and Suarez, L. (2011). Bridging the gap between forest conservation and poverty alleviation: the Ecuadorian Socio Bosque program. Environmental Science & Policy, 14(5), 531-542.
[9] Elyasi A, S K. And Rastgar, Sh. (2017). Effective Factors on Stakeholders’ Willingness to Participate at Watershed Management Projects in Hezarkhani Watershed. Journal of Watershed Management Research, 8(16), 259–270.
[10] Fal Soleyman, M. and Haji Poor, M. (2012). Analysing the NGOs  sustainability level in rural areas; international carbon sequestration project  Experience in South Khorasan Provin. Scientific Journals Management System, 20(23), 107-127.
[11] Fal Soleyman, M., Sadeghi, H. and Movahedi PoUr, M. (2012). Analysing the role of carbon sequestration project in  rural women empowerment (Case study: Hosseinabad Ghinab - Sarbisheh city). The Regional Planning Journal, 2(8), 13-27.
[12] Forest, R. a. W. M. O. (2020). Carbon Sequestration Project. Sustainable Management of Land & Water Recourses (SMLWR)
[13] Gruber, J. S. (2010). Key Principles of Community-Based Natural Resource Management: A Synthesis and Interpretation of Identified Effective Approaches for Managing the Commons. Environmental Management, 45(1), 52-66.
[14] Hasannejad, M., Kohansal, M. R. and Ghorbani, M. (2011). Incentive Policies Executing in International Project of Carbon Sequestration in Iran for Empowerment of Local Communities Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development, 24(3), 323-334.
[15] Karimi, K. (2013). Rural communities’ capacity building and emphasis on stakeholders’ organizational coherence in Zanjan province's natural resources and watershed management projects using the National Development Fund. (MSc), University of Zanjan, Faculty of Agriculture.
[16] Karimi, K. and Karami Dehkordi, I. (2015). Participation of Rural Users in Pasture Management Plans and the Factors Effective on them in Mahneshan Township. Geography and Development, 45, 181-196.
[17] Khalili, v., Mahmoudi, J., Gholami, S. and Nazari , M. (2015). Factors affecting the rate of participation of beneficiaries in the implementation Range Management Plan (case study of summer pastures Vazroud area). Journal of Natural Ecosystem of Iran, 5(2), 105-113.
[18] Kim, D.-H., Suen, Y.-B. and Lin, S.-C. (2019). Carbon dioxide emissions and trade: Evidence from disaggregate trade data. Energy Economics, 78, 13-28.
 [19]  Lal, R. (2012). Climate change and soil degradation mitigation by sustainable management of soils and other natural resources. Agricultural Research, 1(3), 199-212.
[20] Larson, S., De Freitas, D. M. and Hicks, C. C. (2013). Sense of place as a determinant of people's attitudes towards the environment: Implications for natural resources management and planning in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Journal of Environmental Management, 117, 226-234.
 [21] Lejano, R. P. and Ingram, H. (2009). Collaborative networks and new ways of knowing. Environmental Science & Policy, 12(6), 653-662.
[22] Mahmoudi, J. S. and Foroutan, S. K. M. (2018). Factors Affecting the Beneficiaries Participation in the Implementation of Range Manegment Plans in Kiasar Watershed, Sari County. Whatershed Management Research, 31(18), 46-59.
[23] Mohammadi Golrang, B., See Lai, F. and Sadegh, S. H. R. (2017). Evaluation of variables affecting people's participation in soil pasture and watershed management projects (Case study: Kouskabad Watershedin Khorasan Razavi). Journal of Research & Rural Planning, 6(1), 49-68.
[24] Mousaei, M. (2015). Factors affecting the non-participation of exploiters in agricultural projects (case study of Fars province). Journal of Promotion and Agricultural Economics, 2(2), 84-69.
[25] Mousaei, M., Malek Mohammadi, I., Farajollah Hosseini, S. J. and Mirdamadi, S. M. (2010). Factors affecting the participation of operators in watershed management projects from the perspective of experts in promoting natural resources and watershed management in Fars province. Agricultural Science; Crop Ecophysiology, 4(14), 139-151.
[26] Nejadi, F., Abbasi, E. and Choobchian, S. (2017). The Role of Combating Desertification Projects in Promotion of Local People’s Social Capital  the Case of Shahdad Carbon Sequestration Project). Journal of Rural Research, 7(4), 604-617.
[27] O'Mara, F. P. (2012). The role of grasslands in food security and climate change. Ann. Bot-London,110:1263-1270.
[28] Ostendorf, B. (2011). Overview: Spatial information and indicators for sustainable management of natural resources. Ecological Indicators, 11(1), 97-102.
[29] Pezeshki-Raad, G. and KaramiDehkordi, E. (2012). Social Statistics and Data Analysis of Research on Agricultural Extension, development and Education. Tehran: Tarbiat Modares University Press.
[30] Poeplau, C., Don, A., Vesterdal, L., Leifeld, J., Basvan, W., Schumacher, J. and Sgensior, A. (2011). Temporal dynamics of soil organic carbon after land-use change in the temperate zone - carbon response functions as a model approach. Global Change Biology, 17(7), 72415–72427.
[31] Rahimi, d. and Rahemi, y. (2016). Resources in the Impacts Climate Change on Floods in North of Iran. Geography and Environmental Planning, 27(1), 89-102.
[32] Saberi, R., Fal Soleyman, M. and Gheysari, S. (2012). Sustainable Local Development and Attracting Maximum Participation of People Case Study: The Experiences of International Project of Carbon Sequestration in South Khorasan. Geography and Development Iranian Journal, 10(28), 41-54.
[33] Sene-Harper, A., Matarrita-Cascante, D. and Larson, L. R. (2019). Leveraging local livelihood strategies to support conservation and development in West Africa. Environmental Development, 29, 16-28.
[34] Shackleton, C. M., Willis, T. J., Brown, K. and Polunin, N. V. C. (2010). Reflecting on the next generation of models for community-based natural resources management. Environmental Conservation, 37(1), 1-4.
[35] Sil, Â., Fonseca, F., Gonçalves, J., Honrado, J., Marta-Pedroso, C., Alonso, J., . . . Azevedo, J. C. (2017). Analysing carbon sequestration and storage dynamics in a changing mountain landscape in Portugal: insights for management and planning. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & magement, 13(2), 82-104.
[37] Tallis, H. and Polasky, S. (2009). Mapping and valuing ecosystem services as an approach for conservation and natural‐resource management. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1162(1), 265-283.
[38] Thomas, C. W. and Koontz, T. M. (2011). Research Designs for Evaluating the Impact of Community-Based Management on Natural Resource Conservation. Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research, 3(2), 97-111.
[39] Tompkins, E. and Adger, W. N. (2004). Does adaptive management of natural resources enhance resilience to climate change? Ecology and Society, 9(2(,
[40] Tubiello, F. N., Soussana, J.-F. and Howden, S. M. (2007). Crop and pasture response to climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(50), 19686-19690.
[41] Varamesh, S., Hosseini, S. M., Abdi, N. and Akbarinia, M. (2010). Increment of soil carbon sequestration due to forestation and its relation with some physical and chemical factors of soil. Iranian Journal of Forest, 2(1), 25-35.
[42] Wang, X., Feng, Y., Liu, J., Lee, H., Li, C., Li, N. and Ren, N. (2010). Sequestration of CO2 discharged from anode by algal cathode in microbial carbon capture cells (MCCs). Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 25(12), 2639-2643.
[43] Wilmsen, C., Elmendorf, W. F., Fisher, L., Ross, J., Sarathy, B. and Wells, G. (2012). Partnerships for empowerment: participatory research for community-based natural resource management: Routledge.
[44] Wright, J. H., Hill, N. A. O., Roe, D., Rowcliffe, J. M., Kümpel, N. F., Day, M., . . . Milner-Gulland, E. J. (2016). Reframing the concept of alternative livelihoods. Conservation Biology, 30(1), 7-13.
[45] Zamen Rahemi Ardakani, A., Esmaeilpour, Y., Mohammadi, Y. and Gholami, H. (2018). Factor Analysis of obstacles to the Local Communities Participation in the Biological Restoration and Desertification Plans of Carbon Sequestration Project in the Lapui County, Fars Province