Articles
Rural tourism, as one of the most important strategies for sustainable development, plays a key role in enhancing the economic, social, and cultural conditions of rural areas. With its diverse territorial capabilities, Khuzestan Province has a high potential for rural tourism development. However, the optimal use of these capabilities requires proper identification and prioritization. Therefore, the present study focuses on the typology and prioritization of territorial capabilities for rural tourism development in Khuzestan. In line with the research goal, a purposive sample of 35 experts from seven provincial organizations was selected to answer the questionnaire. At first, a geodatabase was created based on statistical data from censuses, statistical yearbooks, and provincial plans to identify the types of territorial capabilities needed for rural tourism development in the province. Then, the collected data were classified according to an indexation process. The result of this method’s implementation was the extraction of 280 variables in the form of 14 indices representing territorial capabilities. For prioritizing these indices, the final coefficients obtained from the average scores of multi-criteria decision-making weighting methods showed that natural, agricultural, and handicraft capabilities received the highest coefficients, ranging from 0.26 to 0.24. Moreover, the results of implementing multi-criteria decision-making ranking techniques and the aggregation method for counties zoning based on territorial capabilities related to rural tourism development revealed that Dezful, Ahvaz, and Andimeshk, with scores ranging between 0.00 and 2.00, achieved the best rankings. Additionally, the analysis of the final territorial capabilities map using a Geographic Information System showed that the share of high, medium, and low capabilities classes in the province was 33.3% or ten districts, 23.3% or seven districts, and 43.3% or thirteen districts, respectively. This means that nearly half of the province is in an unfavorable condition regarding the availability of such capabilities.
Introduction: Livability is a general concept that is associated with a number of other concepts and words, such as sustainability, quality of place and healthy community. Livable settlements define habitat as a suitable place for work and life. Livability theory was based on Abraham Maslow's work on human needs. The increasing importance of livability is due to increased awareness of unsustainable life patterns and unhealthy and unsustainable consumption, which in the long term reduces the capacity of environmental resources for supporting the population. In the field of quality of life this theory has been generally developed by Wienhown who believes that people are happier and are more satisfied in a community that meets their needs better. In general, the livability coin has two faces: Livelihoods and ecological stability. Thus, one of the dimensions of livability is stable livelihood. One of the solutions for increasing the sustainability of rural livelihoods is livelihoods diversity. This phenomenon leads to poverty reduction due to the emphasis on better job opportunities for empowerment of rural households. Livelihood diversity is an effective strategy for dealing with economic and environmental stresses and a tool for poverty reduction. One of the examples of livelihood diversity is border exchange in border settlements. The definition of border exchange, its environmental result and its role in the sustainability or instability of rural settlements is discussed here forth. Material and Methods: Kurdistan province is geographically located between northern 34° 44' to 36° 30' latitude and 45° 31' to 48° 16' longitude. Currently, Kurdistan Province has 10 counties, 27 districts, and 29 towns. Kurdistan Province, with an area of 28203 square kilometers, is located adjacent to the eastern part of Iraq. Villages with border license totaling 10817 households have been studied as a statistical society. In the present research, in terms of research methodology we used both quantitative and qualitative methods. For theoretical framework, both livability theory and livelihood diversity theory have been used. In order to investigate the research problem, a deductive strategy was used and for collecting data two conventional methods of library studies (books, theses, journals, the results of censuses, relevant statistics, photographs, pictures, films, documentaries, etc.) and surveying were used. For statistical analysis of quantitative data, SPSS software and related statistical tests such as independent T and Wilcoxon were used. For analysis of qualitative data, researcher's views, opinions of scholars, statements by the officials of the city's and field investigations have been used. Result and discussion: The average of the effects of border exchanges on the stability of villages before and after the temporary border marketplace was 22.77 and 17.62, respectively, which had a mean difference of 5.15 before and after the construction of temporary border markets. Also, the standard deviation of border exchanges before and after the construction of temporary border marketplace is 2.84 and 1.36, respectively. To examine the effect of temporary border marketplace, the Wilcoxon test was used. The results showed that the average rating in the period before the construction of temporary border markets (45.22) was for environmental destruction and the results were higher than the average of the group after the construction of temporary border marketplace (13.5). Therefore, it can be said that with construction of temporary border markets, environmental results, including the destruction of forest areas and its implications were reduced. The value of the Wilcoxon test is (8.05) and its significance level is 0.05 at 0.000. Based on the significance level, the difference between the dependent variable in two periods before the construction of the temporary border marketplace and after the construction of temporary border marketplace, it is meaningful. Therefore, the first hypothesis of the research on the existence of a relationship between border exchanges and environmental evolution and the second hypothesis regarding the positive results of border exchanges in the livability of the settlements of the border villages of Kurdistan province after the construction of temporary border marketplaces are confirmed. Livelihood diversity is an effective strategy for dealing with economic and environmental stresses and a tool for poverty reduction. One example of the diversification of rural livelihoods is border exchange; the phenomenon of border exchanges is now in legal ways, including temporary marketplaces, border licenses and electronic border credit cards. This phenomenon is an appropriate alternative for diversifying rural livelihoods, fair distribution of income, population stability, socioeconomic and spatial justice, protection of the environment, especially the preservation of forested areas. Applied studies show that reliance on non-agricultural livelihood diversity strategies are beneficial due to increase in household income. In this framework, border exchange is one of the examples of diversification of rural livelihoods with positive economic results. On the other hand, as it is derived from the questionnaires, the use of pressurized irrigation and reduction of water losses in the fields, the participation of local people in environmental NGOs, for example the Green Chia Association, participation in forest fire extinguishing, along with reduced fertilizer and pesticide use in agricultural fields, reduced animal hunting, reduced overharvesting, reduce of human waste and animal waste in the rural range and out of rural range, reduce in the population's dependence on forests and pastures are quite evident. Conclusion: It is obvious that with changes in the financial and income resources of the border residents, the desire to improve livelihoods and increase satisfaction has expanded. The development of environmental protection, such as decreasing environmental destruction, reduction of pesticide and fertilizer use, increasing participation in non-governmental environmental institutions, participation in firefighting, reducing the unconventional use of forests and their products and decreasing disposal of human and animal waste in the rural environment and forest arenas are positive environmental impacts of border exchanges. Obviously, if this phenomenon is extended to other parts of the county, with the improvement of livelihoods, the fields of cultural, political, physical and environmental development will accrete and increase. An adverse event caused by rising income is construction of garden houses and villas, mostly with urban residents. With necessary means such as educating people, coherent supervision in the areas of desirability can be managed. Therefore, the diversification strategy of rural livelihoods based on the capability of each region, using the potential of the border is a useful solution. This strategy reduces livability limitations of rural settlements. © 2021, The Authors. All rights reserved.
