Socioeconomic Impacts of an International Carbon Sequestration Project on Rural Communities in Hossein Abad Ghinab, East of Iran

Aims: This paper aimed to evaluate the socioeconomic impacts of an international carbon sequestration project in Hossein Abad Ghinab in southern Khorasan Province of Iran. Materials & Methods: The performance of the project has been assessed from the standpoint of changes in demographic conditions, local communities’ participation, literacy rate, access to health facilities, access to energy sources, satisfaction rate, and status of microfinance funds. The changes in these indicators have been monitored from ۲۰۰۴ to ۲۰۱۷. The required information was also elicited from a social survey, and a questionnaire was completed for ۱۴۲ households as well through analysis of the previous reports. Findings: According to the findings of this research for the main indicators, the project has successfully improved the economic status for access to credits. As for annual income, the average household income from agriculture, livestock, and handicrafts have declined significantly from ۲۰۰۴ to ۲۰۱۷. Concerning the social implications, although some progress could be seen in access to energy sources and literacy rates, however, the project faces a reduction in public acceptance and satisfaction (from moderate to low). Conclusion: We have concluded that the project has been partly successful in bringing positive socioeconomic changes to the region, yet given the present obstacles such as budget limitation and public participation, the sustainability of the outputs, in the long run, could be a major challenge for project managers.