Optimizing management of goats and oak trees for sustainability and community's welfare: a case study from Zagros, Iran

Abstract

A deterministic dynamic bio-economic model was used to analyse different management options for goats and charcoal production in a forest in Zagros, Iran. The study sought optimal management options from a local community point of view considering net present value (NPV) of income from sale of goats and charcoal under different restrictions on forest harvest imposed by the state. The model was run under six model scenarios: (1) business as usual (BAU), (2) no state intervention, (3) no forest harvesting, (4) strict quota, (5) medium quota and (6) loose quota on charcoal production. The scenarios' results were compared based on four numeric criteria (NPV of income from goats and charcoal, development of standing volume and tree size diversity in forest, interaction between goat population and oak forests) and one subjective criterion (state budget for managing forest). The results indicated that two main challenges exist in forest management in Zagros; (1) to determine the balance between local communities' welfare and biological stability of the forest and (2) to choose between a cheap management regime prohibiting wood harvest but implicitly accepting some illegal charcoal production and a more expensive, but legal, harvest regulation through charcoal production quota. We conclude that the BAU scenario, where forest harvesting was prohibited de jure, but some illegal charcoal production was still undertaken, was the only viable management, which also is practically acceptable by both state and local communities.

Keywords:

• matrix model
• centralized forest management
• harvest quota
• charcoal
• tree size diversity

Acknowledgements

This research was part of a project titled “Searching policy means addressing forest degradation in Zagros, Iran bio-economic models as tools for decision support” and mainly funded through research grant provided by the International Foundation for Science, Stockholm, Sweden. The authors are also acknowledging the Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and the Department of Forestry and Forest Economics at University of Tehran. We appreciate farmers in Zagros for their cooperation and hospitality and Headquarter of Natural Resources of Marivan for supportive help.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the International Foundation for Science (IFS), Stockholm, Sweden [grant number S/5316-1].