Journal of Rangeland

Participation is a multi-dimensional phenomenon, heavily depending on various variables each with its own relative weight. Carried out in 2016, this study strives for critical understanding of the inhibiting parameters in public participation, as a social phenomenon, for developing of livestock drinking water in Yazd Province's rangelands. In this study, effective parameters were determined using the Delphi technique in three rounds through filling questionnaires. To elicit knowledge a group of experts consisting of 15 members of academic scholars, officials from Natural Resources and Watershed Management Office in Yazd province and some selected people from local communities were participated. Consensus among the experts on the influential parameters has been achieved after three rounds, entailing three criteria including: a least agreement of 75%, average, score of 4 out of 5, and Kruskal-Wallis statistical test. In this research, a total of 15 parameters from social, economic and climatic criteria were determined on the basis of the standpoint of the expert group. Analysis suggests that lack of inclusive rural cooperatives (weak role of NGOs), reduced rainfall and looming droughts, jointly have major impact on the social participation, by a score of 4.53 and 90.7% consensus. Meanwhile, low income and financial dependence of ranchers on the government subsidies and loans respectively by 85.3 and 82.7 percent of specialist group consensus were identified as the important economic factors. This research assists policy makers and managers of natural resources in removing the obstacles of the pathway of participation and improving public participation for livestock drinking water management in the rangelands of Yazd Province.