The most important SWOT factors and strategies of sustainable forest management for the Hyrcanian forests using Analytic Network Process (Case study: Siahkal forests)

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student, Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran

2 Corresponding author, Associate Prof., Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran

3 Assistant Prof., Department of Forestry Economics and Forest Planning, University of Freiburg Freiburg University, Freiburg, Germany

Abstract

To manage Hyrcanian forests, it is necessary to identify the most important strategies based on effective internal and external factors and use them in alternative planning. Here, the most important factors and strategies for sustainable management of Siahkal forests in Guilan province were investigated. Therefore, a set of effective strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were assessed by the Delphi group consisting of 15 forestry and local experts using the 5-point Likert scale, and were analyzed following de-fuzzyfication using the SWOT method. Then, the pairwise comparison questionnaire was judged based on the defined network by a group of 15 forestry experts, and the information was processed using an analysis network process. The results showed that forests were more affected by the external environment. Remaining further weaknesses and threats after screening showed public concerns about forest management. The final results of the network analysis process showed that competitive diversity strategies (ST) and conservative review (WO) were ranked first and second ranks among the four SWOT strategic groups. Among the 19 selected SWOT factors, factors including traditional livestock in the forest (T1), watershed ecotourism capacities (O2), forest tourist attractions if properly managed (S2), and gas supply to the villages connected to the forest (O3) and forestry projects (S5) ranked first to fifth. The selection of two intermediate strategic groups (ST and WO) and the top five factors in the network analysis process can be recommended as more robust and promising decisions in the sustainable management of Hyrcanian forests (future forestry), which can be applied in alternative forestry plans.

Keywords

Main Subjects


- Anonymous, 2014. Non-Wood Forestry Plan of Areas 24 and 25. Guilan Natural Resources and Watershed Administration, Rasht, 230p (In Persian).
- Anonymous, 2015. Areas of forestry in Guilan province. Guilan Natural Resources and Watershed Administration, Rasht, 64p (In Persian).
- Anonymous, 2017. Iranian Law on the Sixth Five-Year Economic, Cultural, and Social Development Plan for 2016-2021. The Parliament of Iran, Tehran, 175p (In Persian). Available at: http://media.dotic.ir/uploads/old/Attachs/old/377.pdf
- Azar, A. and Rajabzadeh, A., 2014. Applied Decision Making: MADM Approach. Publication of Negahe Danesh, Tehran, 230p (In Persian).
- Coulibaly-Lingani, P., Savadogo, P., Tigabu, M. and Oden, P.C., 2011. Factors influencing people's participation in the forest management program in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Forest Policy and Economics, 13(4): 292-302.
- Goleij, A., 2016. Localization of criteria and indicators (C&I) of sustainable forest management (SFM) in Guilan province (Asalem region). Ph.D. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, 102p (In Persian)
- Groselj p., Hodes D.G., Zadnik Stirn L., 2015. Participatory and multi-criteria analysis for forest (ecosystem) management: A case study of Pohorje, Slovenia. Forest policy and Economics, 71:80-86.
- Gurgin Karaji, M., 2004. Stable utilization management strategy based on ecological basis in Komazaran of Saral in Kurdistan. M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Mazandaran, Sari, 83p (In Persian).
- Habibi, A., Izadiyar, S. and Sarafrazi, A., 2014a. Fuzzy Multi-Criterion Decision. Katibe Gil Publication, 171p (In Persian).
- Habibi, A., Sarafrazi, A. and Izadyar, S., 2014b. Delphi technique theoretical framework in qualitative research. The International Journal of Engineering and Science, 3(4): 8-13.
- Hasanimehr, S.S., 2007. Sustainable management and optimal utilization (Study sample: forests of northern Iran). Proceedings of the Second National Conference on Iranian Ecological Agriculture. Gorgan, Iran, 17 Oct. 2007: 20p (In Persian).
- Heidari, M. and Karamdoost Maryan, B., 2017. The study and policy cessation of forest utilization or forest logging in hyrcanian forests (Case study: Shafarood forests). Iranian Journal of Forest and Poplar Research, 24(4): 724-736 (In Persian).
- Jalilova, G., Khadka, C. and Vacik, H., 2012. Developing criteria and indicators for evaluating sustainable forest management: A case study in Kyrgyzstan. Forest Policy and Economics, 21: 32-43.
- Kotwalm, P.C., Omprakash, M.D., Gairola, S. and Dugaya, D., 2008. Ecological indicators: Imperative to sustainable forest management. Ecological Indicators, 8(1): 104-107.
- McDaniels, T., Mills, T., Georgy, R. and Ohlson, D., 2012. Using expert judgments to explore robust alternatives for forest management under climate change. Risk Analysis, 32(12): 2098-2112.
- Omidi, A. and Hassanzad Navroodi, I., 2017. Determination of the most consistent indicators of sustainable management of Hyrcanian forests using fuzzy Delphi method in Liahsi Sara 8 series. Proceedings of the National Conference on Forests of Northern Iran: Past, Present and Future. Rasht, Iran, 26-27 Apr. 2017: 120-129 (In Persian).
- Omidi, A., Hassanzad Navroodi, I., Ghajar, E. and Yousefpour, R., 2020. Determining appropriate strategies for management of Hyrcanian forests, using the quantitative strategic planning matrix (Case study: Siahkal Forests(. Journal of Forest Research and Development, 6(2): 329-346 (In Persian).
- Rajabpour Niko, H., 2006. History of Lahijan and Siahkal Forests. Shademan Press, Lahijan, 86p (In Persian).
- Rauch, P., 2017. Developing and evaluating strategies to overcome biomass supply risks. Renewable Energy, 103: 561-569.
- Razaghpour, N., 2017. Identification and prioritization of forest management strategies using multi-criteria decision-making methods (case study: Shafaroud forest in Guilan province). M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran, 93p (In Persian).
- Saaty, T.L., 1999. Fundamentals of the analytic network process. Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Kobe, Japan, 12-14 Aug. 1999: 14p.
- Wolfslehner, B. and Vacik, H., 2008. Evaluating sustainable forest management strategies with the Analytic Network Process in a Pressure-State-Response framework. Journal of Environmental Management, 88(1): 1-10.
- Wolfslehner, B., 2007. The use of indicator models for the evaluation of sustainable forest management in a multi-criteria analysis framework. Ph.D. thesis, Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, 98p.
- Yavuz, F. and Baycan, T., 2013. Use of swot and analytic hierarchy process integration as a participatory decision making tool in watershed management. Procedia Technology, 8: 134-143.
- Yousefpour, R. and Hanewinkel, M., 2016. Climate change and decision making under uncertainty. Current Forestry Reports, 2(2): 143-149.
- Zandebasiri, M. and Parvin, T., 2012. Investigation on importance of Near East Process’s criteria and indicators on sustainable management of Zagross forests (Case study: Tange Solak Water Catchment, Kohgiloye and Boyer Ahmad province). Iranian Journal of Forest and Poplar Research, 20(2): 204-2016 (In Persian).