Livelihood dependency on woodland resources in southern Zagros, Iran

This study aims to investigate the relationships between people’s livelihoods and the woodland resources of the Ganaveh watershed in southern Zagros, Iran, as a basis for suggestions of strategies for sustainable management of the woodland resources and improvement of the livelihoods of people in the community. Household data were collected through interviews with heads of households and members of the village council with a focus on uses of the woodland products. Canonical correlation analysis and pairwise correlation analysis were used to detect significant relationships between the socioeconomic variables of the households and the variables of the collected or used woodland products by the households. Results show that animal husbandry is the most important activity for providing villagers’ income. Fuel wood, seeds and ground fodder are collected woodland products in the area. Among the key socioeconomic characteristics of the households, increased educational status and cash incomes from sources other than the woodland are associated with less dependency on the woodland resources, and consumption of energy has a positive correlation with the collection of fuel wood