Determining the Social Profile Ratio in Decision-Making Process of Water and Soil Resources Sustainable Management, Emamkandi Watershed, Urmia Province

Subject Areas : Optimal management of water and soil resources

Hossein Malekli ¹ , Raoof Mostafazadeh ² , Abazar Esmali Ouri ³ , Kiomars Sefidi ⁴ , Shahnaz Mirzaei ⁵

1 - M.Sc. in Watershed Management Engineering, Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
2 - Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
3 - Professor, Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
4 - Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
5 - Ph.D. Student of Watershed ‎Management Science and Engineering, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

Received: 2022-11-26 Accepted : 2023-01-20 Published : 2023-07-23

Keywords: Watershed management decision, Participation of watershed residents, Indigenous knowledge, Social Profile Ratio,

Abstract :

Background and Aim: In order to understand the impacts of watershed management (WM) measures and their effect in solving the socio-economic and environmental problems of region, it is necessary to evaluate these measures to improve future activities in watersheds. One of the important aspects in the watershed management decision making (DM) is to consider the stakeholders participation in the planning process. On the other hand, the participation of stakeholders is not same and their opinions on the issue are varied.Method: Therefore, stakeholders in the mentioned watershed were divided into six main groups, and the values of the social network ratios of stakeholder groups regarding the issues discussed during face-to-face interviews were calculated.In this study, the Social Profile Ratio (SPR) method was used to determine effective stakeholder groups in decision-making and implementation of watershed management activities in the Emamkandi watershed in the northern province of Urmia in 1999. The social profile ratio, as a tool for introducing the characteristics of society and stakeholders, plays an important role in informed decision-making by the Watershed Planning Committee, and is calculated based on the scores of components including the position, power, and salience of stakeholders in relation to the issue. Therefore, stakeholders in the mentioned watershed were divided into six main groups, and the values of the social network ratios of stakeholder groups regarding the issues discussed during face-to-face interviews were calculated.Results: According to the results, stakeholders placed more importance on the "importance" component compared to the "position" and "power" components. The social network ratios for all stakeholders were calculated to be greater than one, indicating their agreement with the issue.Conclusion: Overall, based on the results of the study, it can be said that the group of managers and experts from the Agricultural Jihad organization had the highest agreement with the issues raised compared to other groups. The use of local knowledge to create motivation for better participation had the highest social network ratio, and the lowest agreement was related to the issue of the impact of decisions made by institutions and executive organizations on improving the income of watershed residents. The results of the social network ratios for the issue of using local knowledge to create motivation for better participation in watershed management projects showed that three groups of managers, biological experts, and agricultural Jihad experts agreed with the issue raised, and the numerical value of this ratio for managers (equal to 33) indicates the agreement of most managers. In all participating groups except for managers and Agricultural Jihad experts, the social network ratios indicate their disagreement with the issue of involving watershed residents in practical watershed management decisions.

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