Analyzing social trust network in human-large carnivores conflict management, Case study: Golestan National Park

Protected areas play a vital role in biodiversity conservation. However, human-large carnivore conflict (HCC) is a common problem in PAs and threatens long-term conservation goals. Socioeconomic factors are a significant aspect of HCC, and addressing these factors is crucial for achieving human-large carnivore coexistence. Trust and appropriate communication between all stakeholders are introduced as key factors in the HCC management, but they have remained unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate stakeholders’ social networks in the HCC around the Golestan National Park (GNP), using social network analysis to address this gap. We identified a social trust network in support and information exchange in HCC. The data have been collected through a questionnaire and ۲۹۲ face-to-face interviews with the residents of ۳۰ villages around the GNP from April to November ۲۰۲۲. Indices of degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and Multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) were analyzed. Our findings show that local communities trust family members the most for receiving support and they trust the most in rangers in information exchange. On the other hand, villagers and village councils have an insignificant role in the social network. The results reveal the significant centrality of rangers in the social network and introduce them as important social capital and key actors in the HCC mitigation strategies. The findings of this research led to the clarification of the interactions in stakeholders’ social networks and demonstrated that conflict mitigation strategies require a multidisciplinary approach, and different social aspects of conflicts should be considered in conflict management programs.

کلیدواژه ها:

Golestan National Park ، Human-large carnivore conflict ، Protected areas ، Social network analysis ، Trust network