Institutional Drivers of Land Use Change in Eastern Mazandaran Province- the case of Olya Kolijan Rostaq District in Sari County

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 university of kharazmi

2 University of kharazmi

10.22059/jtcp.2024.382762.670470

Abstract

In recent decades, extensive land use changes have emerged as a key challenge to land sustainability in northern regions of Iran, particularly in Mazandaran Province. The significance of institutional factors in land use transformations has been underexplored in the literature. This study employs Q methodology to examine the role of institutional factors in land use changes in the Kalijan Rostaq Olya district of Sari County in East Mazandaran Province. Initially, the discourse space of influential institutional factors was extracted from theoretical foundations and previous research, categorized into four main groups: legal regulations, policies, customs, and socio-cultural norms. Subsequently, 35 key statements were extracted and prioritized by 30 local stakeholders using the Q-sort table. The sample community was purposefully selected from members of village councils, village managers, disctric managers, municipalities, and employees of the Mazandaran wood and paper industries. The collected data were analyzed using KADE software. The findings indicate that the main institutional factors influencing land use changes in study area are the weaknesses in local institutions on land ownership, weak enforcement of land use change prevention laws, improper land use management, and inadequate responsiveness and coordination among related agencies. Based on the research findings, strengthening land use governance through enhancing accountability and transparency of executive agencies and elevating the role of local institutions and actors in land use management and oversight is recommended.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Town and Country Planning

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 14 December 2024

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History

  • Receive Date: 25 September 2024
  • Revise Date: 10 December 2024
  • Accept Date: 14 December 2024

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