Investigating the role of indigenous knowledge of stakeholders and local participation in sustainable conservation of forests (Case study: west forests of Gilan province)
Subject Areas : Forests and natural resources
Amir Hossein Zamani
1
,
Iraj Hassanzad Navroodi
2
,
Ali Omidi
3
1 - Phd student, Forest science and engineering - Forest management, University of Guilan, Sowme'eh Sara, Iran.
2 - Assistant professor, Department of Forestry, Faculty of natural resources, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
3 - Instructor, Administration of Natural Resources and Watershed Management of Guilan Province, Rasht, Iran
Keywords: Sustainable conservation, Adaptive behavior, Indigenous knowledge, Local people’s participation. ,
Abstract :
One of the approaches to prevent forests’ destruction is to improve the knowledge and participation of local people. In the present study, the role of indigenous knowledge of stakeholders and the participation of local people in the sustainable conservation of the west of Guilan forests were investigated using the theories of normative levels and planned behavior. The statistical population consisted of the residents and native forest dwellers of Sowme'eh Sara, Fuman, and Shaft cities, as well as the experts from General Department of Natural Resources and Watershed Management of Guilan. The sample amount was calculated using the unlimited Cochrane method, and 198 people responded to the questionnaire. The sampling method was simple random and for data analysis, structural equation modeling with SPSS 26 and Smart PLS 3 software were employed. The correlation test showed a significant positive relationship between participation and local knowledge variables with sustainable conservation and these two variables were able to predict sustainable conservation by 0.661 and 0.377, respectively. The structural equation modeling indicated that the experience of forest destruction through the weak participation of local people and indigenous knowledge has an indirect effect on adaptive behavior in sustainable forest conservation. According to the theory of normative levels, the focus of indigenous communities on the promotion of indigenous knowledge as an objective concept along with their focus on abstract concepts such as participation in the conservation of degraded forests can motivate protecting forests. This issue is accordance with the theory of planned behavior which creating a positive attitude among native people in the form of mental norms, lead to the control of behavior based on sustainable conservation. The results of the present research can be used to change the attitude of the general managers of the Natural Resources and Watershed Administration regarding the effectiveness of indigenous knowledge and cultural issues in the sustainable conservation of natural resources.
