Socio-economic and environmental impacts assessment of the watershed plan of the Imamzadeh Jafar plain in the Gachsaran County

Introduction and Goal 
The targeted watershed management activities serve as a comprehensive solution to reduce the negative impacts of floods and combat climate change, play a vital role in ensuring water security, improving livelihoods and the quality of life of communities. In the near future, these approaches can help improve the resilience of communities to environmental challenges and facilitate sustainable development. Also, climate change and increase in the intensity and frequency of floods directly affect food security, public health and social development. To reduce the impacts of these phenomena, it is necessary to study climate change and plan appropriately for watershed management and apply climate adaptation methods. And with proper groundwater recharge, it increases water security and agriculture. Improving ecosystem services through watershed management activities, on the one hand, ensures water resources and a healthy environment, and on the other hand, improves the sustainable economic and livelihood development of local communities. Additionally, Watershed management plays an important role in the management of water and soil resources and is very effective in sustainable rural development, and assessing its effects is essential. This study was conducted to investigate the socio-economic and environmental effects of the Imamzadeh-Jafar watershed management project from the perspective of the beneficiary villagers. The present research is applied in purpose, field-based in terms of variable control, and descriptive-analytical in nature. 
Materials and Methods
Data collection was conducted through a survey and a questionnaire was used to gather data. The statistical population of the study included farmers and ranchers from the villages of Naserabad, Mohajerin, and Imamzadeh Jafar in Gachsaran County, totaling 120 individuals. According to the Krejcie and Morgan table, a suitable sample size for this population is 90 people, chosen through simple random sampling. The data was analyzed using SPSS software. The Cronbach's alpha for social factors was 0.86, for economic factors was 0.87, and for environmental factors was 0.80. The components of the questionnaire consisted of personal characteristics, as well as economic, social, and environmental indicators. Additionally, the questionnaire was structured using a five-point Likert scale (1 = very low, 2 = low, 3 = moderate, 4 = high, and 5 = very high). To analyze the data, both descriptive and inferential methods were employed. In the descriptive method, after calculating the mean and standard deviation, the coefficient of variation was obtained, and the indicators for each factor were prioritized based on the coefficient of variation. Then, the correlation coefficient was used to determine relationships, a post-hoc test was employed to interpret the significance of mean differences among groups, and cluster analysis was utilized for grouping.
Results and Discussion
According to the results of the follow-up test, there is no significant environmental difference between the villages of Mohajerin and Naserabad; But between Imamzadeh-Jaafar and Naserabad, as well as Imamzadeh-Jaafar and Mohajerin, a significant difference is observed at the level of one percent. In the analysis of social factors, there is no significant difference between the immigrants and Naserabad, but between Imamzadeh-Jaafar and both villages, a significant difference can be seen at the level of 0.99%. From the economic point of view, there is no significant difference between the villages of Mohajerin and Nasirabad, and between Imamzadeh-Jaafar and Mohajerin, but there is a significant difference between Imamzadeh-Jaafar and Naserabad at the level of one%. Finally, the correlation coefficient between cultivated area and economic factors is 0.39, which shows a significant but relatively weak relationship.
Conclusion and Suggestions
Given the results from the follow-up tests (Dependent) and (Tamhane), Imamzadeh Jafar village is in a better environmental, social, and economic condition compared to the other two villages. Additionally, the status of Naserabad village was also better in all perspectives compared to Mohajerin village. Cluster analysis results indicate that overall, Imamzadeh Jafar village is better across all dimensions compared to the other two villages. Also, from an environmental perspective, Imamzadeh Jafar and Mohajerin have the best conditions. One of the most important aspects that any watershed management project should consider is its environmental impacts. As shown by the results of this study, the Imamzadeh Jafar watershed management project has been successful in addressing environmental issues. It is recommended that during various stages of planning and implementing watershed projects, the logical opinions and requests of watershed residents should be considered, and local community inputs should be used. Also, considering the increase in tourism following the project’s implementation, necessary funds for expanding or improving the region’s connectivity and amenities infrastructure should be increased.