تحلیل سطوح مشارکت در بستر ویژگی‌های جمعیت‌شناختی آبخیز بنچله استان کرمانشاه

Introduction and Goal
Sustainable governance of natural resources is a set of local institutional social actions and reactions of all stakeholders of watersheds. By providing a suitable environment for presenting participatory process models, this approach is considered a suitable platform for strengthening the target community alongside the government and the private sector. The sustainability of watershed management programs depends on the active participation of watersheds in planning and implementation activities. Therefore, it is important to examine the demographic characteristics of each watershed as one of the factors affecting watershed participation. According to the above, the purpose of this study can be considered to investigate demographic factors as one of the factors affecting the participation of watershed dwellers in the Benchele watershed of Kermanshah, which indicates the difference in rangeland management goals among stakeholders. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the level of rangeland dwellers' participation in achieving specific rangeland management goals.
Materials and Methods
The research is applied in terms of purpose and is classified as descriptive-survey research in terms of research method. It is also a quantitative research in terms of the nature of the data. The target population included the customary users of the Benchele watershed. The statistical population in this study was 569 household heads. The sample size of this study was determined using the Cochran formula as 229 household heads consisting of men and women. Random sampling was used to select the samples. The tool used in this method to collect data and information was a questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient (alpha greater than 0.7). Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 software. The participatory items studied were mentioned with the goals of controlling runoff and controlling floods, preventing soil erosion, and directing water to the surface of groundwater tables in the Benchele watershed. The questions focused on demographic variables that affect the variable of watershed residents' participation. In the analysis of the collected information, the descriptive statistics of the mean and the inferential statistics of Pearson, Spearman and Chi-square were used. In the analysis of the collected information, the descriptive statistics of the mean and the inferential statistics of Pearson, Spearman and Chi-square were used. In order to examine the relationship between the variables of age, income, watershed management history, household size, distance of the watershed from the place of residence and education, the Pearson statistic was used, and to examine the relationship between the variable of gender and the level of participation, the Spearman test was used. Also, the Chi-square statistic was used to examine the relationship between different levels of variables based on their level of participation.
Results and Discussion
The results of the Pearson correlation test showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between the variables of age, income, distance from the watershed to the place of residence, watershed management experience, and household size with the participation of watershed residents. Also, the results of the Spearman correlation test showed that the gender variable had no significant relationship with the participation of individuals in the Benchele watershed. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test also showed that, except for the gender variable, there was a significant relationship with participation among other categories of the variables of age, annual income, watershed management experience, education level, distance from the watershed to the place of residence, and household size. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the difference in participation in the 12 villages studied was significant. The highest average participation was related to the villages of Baba Aziz and the lowest participation was related to the villages of Gel Sefid. The difference in the demographic characteristics of different regions in the Benchele watershed has caused differences in their levels of participation. According to the results of the study, various demographic factors will be essential in assessing the level of participation of watershed residents. It was concluded that people with lower literacy levels are more inclined to participate in the implementation of conservation projects due to their greater dependence on watersheds for their livelihoods. Considering the existing capacity, it is suggested that a variety of income sources be created for target communities. Also, by increasing the size of the household and in order to improve the household's livelihood situation, the desire to participate in water and soil resource conservation projects and benefit from their benefits will be more evident. Gender is not the only effective predictor of people's participation in natural resource management projects.
Conclusion and Suggestions
Watershed management is considered as a comprehensive approach to sustainable management of water and soil resources in watersheds, among which demographic factors are considered to be one of the most key factors affecting participation. In Iran, one of the ways to achieve sustainability and principled exploitation of watersheds by society requires attention to demographic characteristics. Demographic factors form the main structure of society's behavior towards water and soil resources, and the behavior of individuals in the watershed will also guarantee the health of the watershed. With the exception of gender, different classes of demographic factors, including age, watershed management experience, annual income, education level, household size, and distance of watershed residents from the watershed, showed different performance in terms of participation. This performance is more related to the understanding of water and soil resources and the livelihood status of local communities. Therefore, regardless of economic and social conditions, educational programs should be defined for all segments of society at all levels in the Benchele watershed of Kermanshah province so that each individual at all levels can play an effective role in protecting water and soil resources. It is suggested that in order to actively participate in water and soil resource protection programs, efficient education and financial support packages be provided to different classes of watershed residents to provide the basis for their greater and more effective activity.