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 Awareness of watershed problems and their consequences based on causal models is a fundamental step in the implementation of integrated watershed management plans and achieving watershed health. In this study, the DPSIR framework was used to analyze watershed health and cause-effect relations among its components, as well as structuring information in the Chehel-Chay Watershed, Golestan Province, Iran. For this purpose, first, items of each component were identified by library studies and literature reviews, and also discussion with NGOs and members of the village council. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed by, respectively, a group of experts and Cronbach's alpha method. The sample size of the watershed residents was calculated by Cochran's formula. Then, the items were prioritized using the Friedman test based on the Likert scale, from the viewpoints of 28 experts and 94 residents. The matrix of relations between the items of the main components and their prioritization was determined according to the perspective of both groups. The results showed that the compliance rate of common priorities among 40% of the top priorities was 73% for the component of Pressure, 60% for the components of State and Impact, and 58% for the component of Response. Also, the most important managerial responses were identified and prioritized. Due to the presence of various stakeholders, applying these responses in the framework of integrated watershed management is crucial to improve watershed health.

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Peoplechr('39')s participation is an important strategy for successful watershed management. This study aimed to identify and prioritize the factors prevent people from participation based on local peoplechr('39')s and expertchr('39')s viewpoints in Vers watershed. These factors were identified and categorized using literature reviews and interviews with experts and local residents. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were checked by experts and Cronbachchr('39')s alpha test respectively. The sample size was also calculated by the Cochran formula. Finally, the indicators and sub-indicators which preventing peoplechr('39')s participation were prioritized using the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and Friedman test. The results indicated that the views of experts and local residents about the preventing factors are in some cases consistent and in others inconsistent. In general, managerial and economic indicators have a greater role in preventing people from participating than social and educational ones. Experts believe that the factors X13 (lack of timely and complete project budget allocation) and X2 (local disputes) have respectively the most and the least degree of importance. But local residents ranked X7 (lack of multipurpose projects) and X6 (weakness in teamwork) respectively as the most and the least important factors. These differences imply that in addition to the viewpoints of experts, policy-makers must also consider the views of stakeholders on the factors preventing their participation. These findings can be appropriate and practical for executive officials since, removing these participation barriers especially the high-priority ones will increase the stakeholders’ participation level.

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In the Shahroud Watershed, there has been an increasing occurrence of landslides that have caused a lot of human and financial losses. Therefore, landslide susceptibility zonation is crucial for reducing landslide risk. The aim of this study was to compare the Landslide Susceptibility Maps (LSMs) of different methods. Therefore, thematic layers of the ten causal factors were prepared. Then, a landslide inventory map consisting of 104 landslides covering 1401 hectares was compiled and partitioned into two subsets including 70% for training and 30% for testing purposes. Three landslide susceptibility maps were prepared using the Frequency ratio (Fr), Statistical index (Si), and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methods. The validation process showed that the Si [Area Under the Curve (AUC)= 0.732] and Fr (AUC= 0.707) models presented a more valid LSM than AHP (AUC= 0.651) method. The Qs (Quality sum) index values also confirmed the results of the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve such that the Qs index values of 1.71, 1.43, and 0.62 for, respectively, Fr, Si, and AHP models implied a more accurate LSMs of the Fr and Si models than the one from the AHP. The results of this study can be used as a basic step for landslide risk management in the study area.