Mid Sweden University

Forest management, especially in regions with diverse socio-economic and environmental challenges, is crucial for promoting sustainable livelihoods. The absence of effective participatory forest management strategies has led to deficits in both forest resource conservation and the enhancement of local livelihoods. This research investigates participatory forest land management by identifying and prioritizing key factors and proposing strategic management approaches. Data were collected through interviews and questionnaires in Qazvin Province, Iran. The data was analyzed using an integrated SWOT-AHP model. The SWOT matrix underscored critical aspects of forest resource management in the study area: "soil conservation and erosion prevention" emerged as a key strength, while "economic stability, improvement and diversity of livelihood of dependent communities" were highlighted as significant opportunities. Conversely, "weak enforcement of laws, policies, and strategies" was identified as a notable weakness and "reduction of forests area" was a concerning threat. The prioritization of SWOT factors revealed that opportunities hold the highest priority. Specifically, "economic stability, improvement, and diversification of livelihoods for dependent communities" and "collaborative forestry" were assigned top priorities, with final weights of 0.1665 and 0.1095, respectively. Furthermore, the AHP method indicated that “program-oriented management with stakeholder participation” is the most crucial strategy, with a relative weight of 0.21. The study underscores this strategy as an effective approach to achieving sustainable forest management, emphasizing its potential to align stakeholder interests and enhance forest conservation efforts.