Consequences of an Improved Road Network in Rural Iran: Does it Lead to Better Livelihoods and Forest Protection? |
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| Authors: | Arezoo Soltani Prem L Sankhayan Ole Hofstad Farshid Eshraghi Abbas Arabmazar |
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| Institution: | 1.Faculty of Social Sciences,Sogn og Fjordane University College,Sogndal,Norway;2.Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management,Norwegian University of Life Sciences,Aas,Norway;3.Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Management,Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources,Gorgan,Iran;4.Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences,Shahid Beheshti University,Tehran,Iran |
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| Abstract: | Construction of new roads in rural areas is closely linked to market accessibility and economic growth. It also leads to exploitation of natural resources that may accelerate deforestation. These conflicting effects of an improved road network on rural development and depletion of forest resources present a serious challenge to policy makers interested in sustainable development. This paper investigates the effects of road networks on biological and socio-economic behaviour. The analysis was conducted by using a non-linear bio-economic model for a community in southern Zagros, Iran where they manage the adjoining forest according to traditional rules. Data for the model were obtained through village surveys and published resources. The model followed a holistic approach by incorporating a number of livelihood activities, such as, crop cultivation, goat husbandry, charcoal production and hiring out of community labour, along with several logical resource constraints. It was run over a period of 45 years. The results showed that new roads can either fuel forest degradation or contribute to forest protection depending on the choice of policy options. The study concludes that construction of new roads should be accompanied by policies aimed at higher state controls over newly accessible forest areas through regulatory measures, creation of new non-farm employment opportunities and strengthening of traditional institutions through providing extension services for local communities and facilitating NGO involvement so as to minimize the adverse effects on forest resources. |
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