Perceptions and beliefs of local Iranian communities towards forest protection

The deforestation phenomenon increases every year all over the world due to human and natural factors and sometimes leaves irreparable negative consequences. Therefore, the majority of countries and related researchers and policy-makers are looking for solutions to prevent further damages to them. In the meantime, in Iran, as a country with limited forest area, they are also being destroyed on a large scale due to local communities being heavily reliant on the forests for their livelihoods and the absence of sustainable resource management. In this regard, this research was aimed at discovering the factors affecting the forest conservation behavior (FCB) in northwestern Iran. Here, Health Belief Model (HBM) was employed as the research theoretical framework. The study utilized questionnaire survey method, and data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population was all local people residing on the margins and inside the Arasbaran forests in northwestern Iran. The findings indicated that HBM is an efficient theory in this regard, so that its components including Perceived Susceptibility (PS), Perceived Severity (PSV), Perceived Benefit (PB), Perceived Barriers (PBR), Cue to Action (CU) and Self-Efficacy (SE) were able to explain 61 % of the FCB variance. The results of this effort, while filling the gaps in the research literature in this field, can help the relevant policy-makers and decision-makers in promoting safe behavior in the natural environment and forest sustainability.