Integrating Social Attitudes and Behaviors with Biophysical and Socioeconomic Factors for Enhanced Watershed Planning

Abstract

Current watershed planning in many developing countries primarily focuses on biophysical features, often neglecting socioeconomic and behavioral factors. This study integrates biophysical variables with socioeconomic characteristics and behavioral traits, such as individualism, trust in government organizations, greed, environmental preferences, and perceived financial ability to develop a more comprehensive and sustainable approach to watershed management. The Ganj basin in Iran, consisting of three villages, was selected as the study area. Socioeconomic data from the traditional sanctums of each village were collected through surveys and interviews, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relationship between participation history and socioeconomic traits. These attributes were then mapped and overlaid with biophysical layers to guide planning decisions. Findings reveal that while traditional rural sanctums share similar socioeconomic conditions, they exhibit significant differences in behavioral tendencies, particularly in individualism, greed, and financial perception. The Ganj sanctum demonstrated the highest preference for participation in watershed plans. Additionally, the study highlights that relying solely on existing biophysical and socioeconomic government data is inadequate for comprehensive and participatory watershed management. Instead, local assessments, such as questionnaire-based studies, can uncover critical insights into both tangible and intangible factors, thereby improving planning accuracy. These findings provide valuable guidance for policymakers in designing management strategies tailored to the socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics of each sanctum, ensuring that watershed plans are more sustainable and long-lasting.

Keywords: Behavioral attributes; Intangible attitudes; Questionnaire-based survey; Watershed planning.