Sustainability of the local stakeholder network in semi-steppe rangelands in southern Iran

Abstract

Sustainable land management (SLM) as a holistic method seeks to combine ecological values with socio-cultural and policy concepts, through which local populations play a significant role in achieving this management. Qasr Yaqoub village was selected for the present study, which is located in Safashahr city in Fars province, south of Iran. The common method of herding in Qasr Yaqoub village is participatory and in the form of assistance systems. Therefore, in order to have a comprehensive evaluation of the stability of the local stakeholder network in different dimensions of sustainability and social networks, two methods of indicators analysis including social network analysis (SNA) and sustainability barometer model (SBM) were used. The index values for trust and social cooperation ties among stakeholders in the local stakeholders' network in Qasr Yaqoub village, consisting of 42 individuals, were found to be 63.1% and 59.8%, respectively. These values indicate a stable density in the trust network and an average density in the cooperation network among stakeholders in the region. In addition, the social network index, which measures the extent of connections, is 1086 for trust and 1030 for social cooperation, both covering more than 50% of the expected ties. This signifies a significant level of interaction between stakeholders regarding relevant issues, facilitating the promotion of social cohesion in the study area. These findings highlight the positive dynamics within the stakeholder network, fostering trust, cooperation, and social cohesion in Qasr Yaqoub village. This study showed that the combination of network analysis and sustainability barometer model could be a useful tool in the sustainability analysis of local communities in rangeland ecosystems.