The Villagers' Perspectives on the Effects of the Chaghal Watershed Management Plan in Kohgiluyeh County

Introduction and Goal
In Iran, with its arid and semi-arid climate and ongoing climate changes, the efficient utilization of water and soil resources is critically important. This reality heightens the significance and necessity of conservation measures employing modern methods. Consequently, the implementation of watershed management plans and operations is recognized as an accepted and effective approach for water and soil conservation, while the evaluation of these projects' impacts serves as an important criterion for assessing their value. Furthermore, the execution of these initiatives entails both positive and negative outcomes, and failure to address them complicates the assessment of the projects' success in enhancing water and soil productivity. Therefore, identifying and categorizing the effects of watershed management projects can serve as an effective step toward improving methodologies, mitigating adverse impacts, and advancing these initiatives. Moreover, examining the role of these projects in the development of rural communities requires precise and quantitative evaluation to analyze their impacts from social, environmental, and economic perspectives. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of assessing villagers' perspectives on the effects of the Chaghal Watershed Management Plan in Kohgiluyeh County. In the first stage, using semi-structured interviews and snowball sampling with 16 well-known people familiar with the watershed management plan implemented in the village in the study area, potential impacts of the plan in the studied region were identified and continued until data saturation was achieved. Based on the results of this stage, the impact components were identified and listed. Subsequently, based on these components, a questionnaire consisting of two sections—individual characteristics (Section 1) and the effects of the watershed management plan in the study area (Section 2)—was designed. The items were then structured using a five-point Likert scale ranging from severely decreased (-2) to severely increased (2+). Then, 100 villagers from the study area were selected as the statistical sample through simple random sampling and interviewed. For the analysis of the data obtained from the questionnaires, descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, coefficient of variation) and inferential statistics (exploratory factor analysis and comparison of means) were used in the analysis of the data collected from the questionnaire.
Results and Discussion
In the qualitative phase of the study, potential impact components of the watershed management plan in the Chaghal watershed, were identified and analyzed. These components comprised 41 concepts derived from interview. Quantitative data analysis was performed using SPSS22 software to categorize the obtained concepts. Additionally, exploratory factor analysis and a one-sample t-test were employed to analyze the data for identifying the effects of the watershed management plan. Based on the factor analysis results, the plan's impacts were categorized into eight groups. In explaining the total variance distribution, the highest contribution belonged to the first category (24.173%) and the lowest to the eighth category (4.558%), collectively accounting for 73.54% of the total explained variance. Furthermore, the findings indicated positive and significant effects of the plan's implementation on environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Economically, these effects included increased productivity and improved cropping patterns; socially, they enhanced participation and strengthened the sense of place; and environmentally, they reduced flood damage and promoted tourism.
Conclusion and Suggestions
The results of the study show that the positive impacts of the Chaghal watershed plan from various social, economic and environmental dimensions. The quantitative data analysis also indicate that the implementation of the watershed management plan has positively contributed to improving environmental conditions, infrastructure, social activities, and overall sense of loyalty and attachment to the environment and community. From an economic standpoint, a significant increase in productivity and improved cropping patterns were also observed. It is recommended that the findings of this study be utilized to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of watershed management plans in Kohgiluyeh County and to achieve sustainability in communities surrounding such projects. In this regard, the following measures are suggested: developing educational and extension programs, strengthening local participation in watershed management, expanding tourism infrastructure, identifying and supporting the cultivation and development of medicinal plants and value-added products, and finally, fostering collaboration among governmental organizations, non-governmental entities, and local institutions for more effective implementation of watershed management plans and the enhancement of productivity and sustainability of natural resources.
 
Materials and Methods
The scope of this study was the Chaghal watershed management plan in Kohgiluyeh County. Over the past years, numerous measures have been implemented in the Chaghal watershed to prevent erosion and improve vegetation cover, including seed broadcasting, seeding, and the construction of mortar stone structures and gabion mesh check dams.  Gabion stone structures (stone mesh) with an operational volume of 900 m³ and mortar stone structures with 3000 m³ have been implemented in the studied watershed. This research used a sequential exploratory approach as the research strategy