Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
Abstract: (390 Views)
Background and objectives Achieving balance in rangeland ecosystems is an important challenge in sustainable rangelands management. Achieving sustainable development at any level and with any goal requires principled, efficient planning and its precise implementation. In order to carry out various economic, social and environmental programs, developing development strategies, success in planning and implementation plans, examining and recognizing the capabilities, shortcomings and determining the level of development of local settlements, based on a set of superior indicators, is an inevitable necessity. This research was carried out with the aim of evaluating the sustainability and analyzing its components among the users of the pastoral units of summer rangelands in Chaypareh County.
Methodology This research was conducted using survey methods (survey of users) and descriptive-analytical methods with the aim of evaluating and measuring the level of sustainability of pastoral units of summer rangelands in Chaypareh County. To conduct the research, the indicators introduced in the previous research were used, and the stability barometer model was used to measure the stability. The stability barometer model is composed of two main elements, ecosystem welfare and human welfare, both of which must be improved to reach sustainable conditions. This model presented by Prescott Allen divides sustainability into five levels and then measures sustainability based on two variables of ecosystem welfare and human welfare. The number of five rangelands pastoral units were selected considering the number of operators, accessibility, number of livestock and the area of the customary system, and 30 questionnaires were completed from the operators. The calculated Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be 0.745 on average, which is within the acceptable range. One-way variance analyses was used to compare the averages of stability evaluation components and Duncan's mean comparison test was used to observe the sources of intra-group changes.
Results The results showed that in the rangeland systems of summer rangelands in different dimensions; the sustainability measurement components have significant differences and were placed in different statistical groups. According to the results, the environmental-ecological dimension of sustainability with a value of 0.612 has the highest level of sustainability among the sustainability dimensions of summer rangelands, and the lowest level of sustainability related to the social dimension of sustainability with a value of 0.484. Based on the results of the barometer model; In terms of sustainability, the rangeland systems of summer rangelands are in the medium to potential sustainability status. In terms of overall stability in summer rangelands, the highest level of stability is 0.548 corresponding to the pastoral unit of Ghorule-olia and the lowest level of sustainability is equal to 0.535 corresponding to the pastoral unit of Chirkandi.
Conclusion The results of this study showed that in order to achieve the sustainability of rangelands, it is necessary to pay special attention to each dimension of sustainable development. The economic and social status of the users and their type of livestock farming, whether mobile or sedentary, affect the sustainability of these communities. The users of these rangelands face challenges in terms of welfare, educational and health services, insurance support, economic welfare and grazing management, and it is necessary to plan to overcome these challenges. The rangelands of the region are in good condition in terms of forage production and soil characteristics, and this potential needs to be considered in order to improve the sustainability of the users. In order to improve the sustainability of the pastoral units of the region, it is recommended to diversify economic activities, increase productivity, improve educational, extension and health services, and observe the capacity and readiness of the rangelands.
Methodology This research was conducted using survey methods (survey of users) and descriptive-analytical methods with the aim of evaluating and measuring the level of sustainability of pastoral units of summer rangelands in Chaypareh County. To conduct the research, the indicators introduced in the previous research were used, and the stability barometer model was used to measure the stability. The stability barometer model is composed of two main elements, ecosystem welfare and human welfare, both of which must be improved to reach sustainable conditions. This model presented by Prescott Allen divides sustainability into five levels and then measures sustainability based on two variables of ecosystem welfare and human welfare. The number of five rangelands pastoral units were selected considering the number of operators, accessibility, number of livestock and the area of the customary system, and 30 questionnaires were completed from the operators. The calculated Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be 0.745 on average, which is within the acceptable range. One-way variance analyses was used to compare the averages of stability evaluation components and Duncan's mean comparison test was used to observe the sources of intra-group changes.
Results The results showed that in the rangeland systems of summer rangelands in different dimensions; the sustainability measurement components have significant differences and were placed in different statistical groups. According to the results, the environmental-ecological dimension of sustainability with a value of 0.612 has the highest level of sustainability among the sustainability dimensions of summer rangelands, and the lowest level of sustainability related to the social dimension of sustainability with a value of 0.484. Based on the results of the barometer model; In terms of sustainability, the rangeland systems of summer rangelands are in the medium to potential sustainability status. In terms of overall stability in summer rangelands, the highest level of stability is 0.548 corresponding to the pastoral unit of Ghorule-olia and the lowest level of sustainability is equal to 0.535 corresponding to the pastoral unit of Chirkandi.
Conclusion The results of this study showed that in order to achieve the sustainability of rangelands, it is necessary to pay special attention to each dimension of sustainable development. The economic and social status of the users and their type of livestock farming, whether mobile or sedentary, affect the sustainability of these communities. The users of these rangelands face challenges in terms of welfare, educational and health services, insurance support, economic welfare and grazing management, and it is necessary to plan to overcome these challenges. The rangelands of the region are in good condition in terms of forage production and soil characteristics, and this potential needs to be considered in order to improve the sustainability of the users. In order to improve the sustainability of the pastoral units of the region, it is recommended to diversify economic activities, increase productivity, improve educational, extension and health services, and observe the capacity and readiness of the rangelands.
Keywords: Components of sustainability, barometer model, summer rangelands, social sustainability, environmental-ecological sustainability.
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