Analyzing Attitudes of Local People towards Socio-Economic Impacts of Land Use Change in Arasbaran Biosphere Reserve

Subject Areas : مدیریت ، برنامه ریزی و آموزش محیط زیست

Vahid Amini Parsa ¹ , Ahmadreza Yavari ² , Athare Nejadi ³

1 - PhD in Environmental Planning, Department of Environmental Planning, Management and Education, Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. * (Corresponding author)
2 - Associated Prof., Department of Environmental Planning, Management and Education, Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3 - PhD in Environmental Planning, Department of Environmental Planning, Management and Education, Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Received: 2017-05-07 Accepted : 2017-08-02 Published : 2020-05-21

Keywords: Protected Areas, Land use changes, Local Perception, Socioeconomic effects,

Abstract :

Background and Objective: Understanding attitudes of local people on protected areas, especially land use management is necessary for maintaining, managing and achieving sustainable development in these areas. Considering local resident's attitudes can promote protected areas management and help to recognize the problems and potential solutions. So in this research the attitudes and perceptions of people of Arsabaran Biosphere Reserve's about socio-economic impacts of land sue changes were analyzed. Method: 367 questionnaires consist of 24 questions distributed using stratified random method and full field by interviewing with local residents of the zones within the Arasbaran Biosphere Reserve (including the core, buffer and transitional zones). Validity and reliability of research was determined. Findings: Analysis show that the people consider scales and so socio-economic impacts of land sue changes in the local and regional scales is more important. Discussion and Conclusion: Local residents understand the necessity of maintaining land uses, but preferring the socio-economic issues and their livelihoods. People showed obviously the rational choice on their answers, and based on their current and future needs introduced future useful land uses. Using local residents' attitudes may help the managers to find out their needs as direct driving force of land use changes within the area and leads them to design win-win plans though land use management.

References:

1. Sekhar, N.U., 2003. Local people’s attitudes towards conservation and wildlife tourism around Sariska Tiger Reserve, India. Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 69, pp. 339–347.


2. Gorner, T., Cihar, M., 2013. Local Attitudes on Protected Areas: Evidence from Sumava National Park and Sumava Protected Landscape Area. Environment and Pollution, Vol. 2 (2), pp., 1–13.


3. Fiallo, E. a., Jacobson, S.K., 1995. Local Communities and Protected Areas: Attitudes of Rural Residents Towards Conservation and Machalilla National Park, Ecuador. Environmental Conservation, Vol. 22 (3), pp. 241-249.


4. Afework Bekele, T.K., 2014. Attitude and Perceptions of Local Residents toward the Protected Area of Abijata-Shalla Lakes National Park (ASLNP), Ethiopia. J Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography, Vol. 4 (1), pp. 1–5.


5. A Andrade, G.S.M., Rhodes, J.R., 2012. Protected areas and local communities: An inevitable partnership toward successful conservation strategies?. Ecology and Society, Vol. 17(4): 14.


6. Anthony, B., 2007. The dual nature of parks: attitudes of neighbouring communities towards Kruger National Park, South Africa. Environmental Conservation, Vol. 34(03), pp. 236-245.


7. Khan, M.S., Bhagwat, S. a., 2010. Protected Areas: A Resource or Constraint for Local People?. Mountain Research and Development, Vol. 30(1), pp. 14-24.


8. García-Frapolli, E., Ramos-Fernández, G., Galicia, E., Serrano, A., 2009. The complex reality of biodiversity conservation through Natural Protected Area policy: Three cases from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Land use policy, Vol 26(3), pp. 715-722.


9. Fu, B., Wang, K., Lu, Y., Liu, S., Keming, M., Chen, L., Liu, G., 2004. Entangling the complexity of protected area management: the case of Wolong Biosphere Reserve, southwestern China. Environmental Management, Vol. 33(6), pp.788-798.


10. West, P., Igoe, J., Brockington, D., 2006. Parks and Peoples: The Social Impact of Protected Areas. Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol.35, pp.251-277.


11. Gorner, T., Najmanova, K., Cihar, M., 2012. Changes in Local People’s Perceptions of the Sumava National Park in the Czech Republic over a Ten Year Period (1998-2008). Sustainability, Vol. 4(6), pp.1354-1370.


12. Wallner, A., Bauer, N., Hunziker, M., 2007. Perceptions and evaluations of biosphere reserves by local residents in Switzerland and Ukraine. Landscape and urban planning, Vol. 83(2), pp.104-114.


13. Xu, J., Chen, L., Lu, Y., Fu, B., 2006. Local people’s perceptions as decision support for protected area management in Wolong Biosphere Reserve, China. Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 78(4), pp.362-372.


14. McNeely, J.A., 1990. The Future of National Park. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, Vol. 32(1), pp.16-41.


15. Lane, M.B., 2001. Affirming New Directions in Planning Theory: Comanagement of Protected Areas. Society & Natural Resources, Vol. 14(8), pp.657-671.


16. Schirmer, J., Loxton, E., A Campbell-Wilson, 2008. Social impacts of land use change to plantation forestry: A review of current international knowledge and case studies of Australian experience. Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Production Forestry, Hobart, 101p.


17. Valbuena, D., Verburg, P.H., Bregt, A.K., 2008. A method to define a typology for agent-based analysis in regional land-use research. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Vol. 128(1), pp.27-36.


18. Rindfuss, R.R., Walsh, S.J., Turner, B.L., Fox, J., Mishra, V., 2004. Developing a science of land change: challenges and methodological issues. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 101(39), pp.13976-13981.


19. DeFries, R.S., Foley, J.A., Asner, G.P., 2004. Land-use choices: Balancing human needs and ecosystem function. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol 2(5), pp.249-257


20. Gilg, A., 2009. Perceptions about land use. Land Use Policy, Vol. 26, pp.S76-S82.


21. Gibson, C., Dufty, R., Drozdzewski, D., 2005. Resident Attitudes to Farmland Protection Measures in the Northern Rivers Region, New South Wales. Australian Geographer, Vol. 36(3), pp.369-383.


22. Abonyo, C.K., Isabirye, M., Mfitumukiza, D., Magunda, M.K., Poesen, J., Deckers, J., Kasedde, A.C., 2007. Land use change and local people ’ s perception of the effects of change in Ssese islands, Uganda. National Agricultural Research Organisation, Uganda, 101p.


23. Lokocz, E., Ryan, R.L., Sadler, A.J., 2011. Motivations for land protection and stewardship: Exploring place attachment and rural landscape character in Massachusetts. Landscape and urban planning, Vol. 99(2), pp.65-76


24. Ho Howley, P., 2011. Landscape aesthetics: Assessing the general publics’ preferences towards rural landscapes. Ecological Economics, Vol. 72, pp.161-169.


25. Ives, C.D., Kendal, D., 2013. Values and attitudes of the urban public towards peri-urban agricultural land. Land use policy, Vol. 34, 80–90.


26. Curran-Cournane, F., Cain, T., Greenhalgh, S., Samarsinghe, O., 2016. Attitudes of a farming community towards urban growth and rural fragmentation—An Auckland case study. Land Use Policy, Vol. 58, pp.241-250.


27. Nejadi, A., 2012. Setting decision support system for managing protected areas based on land use change modelling, case study: Lisar protected area. PhD thesis, Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, pp. 90-110. (In Persian)


28. Amini Parsa, V., Yavari, A., Nejadi, A., 2016. Spatio-temporal analysis of land use/land cover pattern changes in Arasbaran Biosphere Reserve: Iran. Modeling earth systems and environment, Vol. 2(4), pp.1-13.


29. Koomen, E., Beurden, J.B.-V., 2011. Land-use modelling in planning practice (Springer).


30. abreta, S., Kušová, D., Těšitel, J., Bartoš, M., 2008. Biosphere reserves – learning sites of sustainable development. Silva Gabreta, Vol. 14(3), pp.221-234.


31. Schirmer, J., 2006. Social impacts of land use change to plantation forestry: A review of current international knowledge and case studies of Australian experience. see information in: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.424.3682. 11p.


32. Departments of Environment., 2002. Arasbaran protected area management Plan, (Planning Phase), Chapter 1: Physiography study, pp 10-30. (In Persian)


33. DOI of Iran, 2012. Periodic Review For Biosphere Reserves, Arasbaran BR, Unesco, Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences.


34. Statistical Centre of Iran, 2011.  Iranian Population and Housing Census from 1986-2011. . https://www.amar.org.ir/. (In Persian)


35. KhajehNoori, A., 1995. Research Methods., 4th Edition, University of Tehran Press, pp. 35-50. (In Persian)


36. Bihamta, M., Zareh, M., 2011. Statistical fundamentals in Natural sciences, University of Tehran Press, pp. 50-75. (In Persian)


37. Mirzadeh, M., 2009. Statistical analyses using SPSS, Taymaz Press, pp. 75-110. (In Persian)


38. Mansoorfar, K., 2012. Advanced Statistical methods, with software, 4th Edition, University of Tehran Press, pp. 60-80. (In Persian)


39. Krejcie, R. V., Morgan, D.W., 1970. Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and psychological measurement, Vol. 30(3), pp.607-610.


40. Verburg, P.H., Schot, P.P., Dijst, M.J., Veldkamp, A., 2004. Land use change modelling: current practice and research priorities. GeoJournal, Vol. 61(4), pp.309-324.


41. De La Rosa, D., Mayol, F., Diaz-Pereira, E., Fernandez, M., De La Rosa, D., 2004. A land evaluation decision support system (MicroLEIS DSS) for agricultural soil protection: With special reference to the Mediterranean region. Environmental Modelling & Software, Vol. 19(10), pp.929-942.