Introduction and Goal Awareness of existing factors inhibiting public participation in watershed management projects is the most fundamental step in achieving effective public participation and achieving the goals of comprehensive watershed management. Numerous factors cause a lack of public participation in watershed management projects. Awareness of existing factors inhibiting public participation in watershed management projects is the most fundamental step in achieving effective public participation and achieving the goals of comprehensive watershed management. In this regard, prioritizing indicators and sub-indicators affecting the lack of public participation, A fundamental step in the management cycle of watersheds is the proper management of watersheأةds, so that identifying the relevant factors and prioritizations is the key to adopting measures to eliminate barriers to stakeholder participation and maximize the participation of basin residents in comprehensive and efficient watershed management planning in the Forests, Rangelands and Watershed Management Organization and its affiliated General Departments of Natural Resources and Watershed Management in various provinces of the country. This issue, while reducing implementation costs, guarantees the success and more effective implementation of projects. The purpose of the present study is to identify, classify, and prioritize them in the Sana Dam watershed of Bushehr province based on the views of watershed residents and experts Materials and Methods The research area is located in the Sana Dam watershed, which is part of the Shanbeh and Tasuj districts of Dashti County in Bushehr Province in southern Iran. This watershed has two rural districts, Shanbeh and Tasuj, and according to the 2016 statistics, this rural district includes 12 villages with a population of 4,805 people and 1,321 households. In this area, after determining specific factors and classifying them, paired comparison and Likert questionnaires were prepared as measurement tools, and the validity of the questionnaires was confirmed based on expert opinions. After completing the analytic hierarchy process questionnaires by 34 experts, the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process was used to prioritize the indicators. In order to prioritize the indicators and sub-indicators affecting the lack of sustainable public participation in watershed management plans from the perspective of the basin residents, a questionnaire with a Likert scale was used as a measurement tool, and after assessing the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, a survey was conducted. The sample unit was a rural household, and the Cochran formula was used to calculate the sample size. Based on the number of households in this rural district (1321 households), 298 questionnaires were completed by the household head. Results and Discussion The results of the hierarchical analysis showed that, from the experts' perspective, the sub-index "lack of education of basin residents about relevant plans and goals" with an average rank of 8.49 has the highest relative priority, and the sub-index "late return on investment in watershed management plans" with an average rank of 4.06 has the lowest relative priority in the lack of public participation in watershed management projects. Accordingly, from the perspective of local communities, the sub-index "lack of use of local advocacy groups" with an average rank of 8.82 has the highest relative priority, and the sub-index "low literacy and awareness" with an average rank of 4.27 has the lowest relative priority in the lack of public participation in watershed management projects in the Sana Dam watershed. Conclusion and Suggestions In the Sana Dam watershed of Bushehr province, the results of the weights obtained from the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method for ranking the indicators affecting the lack of public participation from the perspective of experts indicate that the design-implementation, economic, social, and finally educational and promotional indicators, respectively, have played the greatest role in the lack of participation of these communities in watershed management projects. The results of the Friedman test for ranking the indicators affecting the lack of public participation from the perspective of local communities were somewhat different from the rankings of experts, and the economic, educational and promotional, social, design-implementation, and finally social indicators were found to be responsible for the lack of participation of these communities in watershed management projects in Bushehr province in the Sana Dam watershed. According to the results of this research, it is suggested that holding training courses and classes with the aim of increasing the information and knowledge of local communities with watershed management projects be prioritized. Also, since local trustees including the old men and elders, educated people, members of the Islamic Council, and village teachers are among the most trusted people in the village. Therefore, these groups, along with local organizations, can play the role of local promoters for the residents of the region and, by promoting the goals of the projects, provide the basis for attracting people's participation in the projects. Providing conditions for employing local labor and villagers in implementing projects and creating a form of employment for them, including concluding contracting contracts with the council or villagers, amending contractors' contracts, and regulating and including a clause for employing local residents in implementing projects. |