Extended Abstract Introduction and Goal Watersheds, as the basis for implementing decisions made by managers and planners, are influenced by changes in the political structure and decision-making. Accordingly, various organizations have a fundamental and undeniable role in the formation of sustainable watershed management. However, the effective contribution of various sectors in the management of watersheds and the quality of sustainable management of their resources has not been examined. Therefore, this study has attempted to evaluate the role of the quintuple helix approach, encompassing the government, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, councils and village councils, the private sector, universities, and military and Law Enforcement Forces, in the sustainable management of the Efin watershed. Materials and Methods Based on the objectives of the study, first, detailed executive studies of seven Afin sub-watersheds were obtained from the General Directorate of Natural Resources and Watershed Management of South Khorasan Province. Then, various reports were studied and reviewed, and problems and obstacles were extracted for each sub-watershed. Furthermore, through field visits and discussions with local communities, problems identified in the studies and other issues that may not have been present at the time were also identified, and the list of issues was finalized. Then, the final problem tree was formed and placed in the fishbone structure. Finally, based on the five-fold twisting process, the duties of five government organizations and the Islamic Consultative Assembly, councils and village councils, the private sector, the university, and the military and Law Enforcement Forces in the sustainable management of the Efin watershed were examined. Results and Discussion The results of the study showed that there are 31 main problems in seven sub-watersheds, which were placed in eight sections: monitoring and evaluation, natural hazards, economic, social, health and welfare, lack of awareness of local communities, natural problems and obstacles, and policymaking and planning in the localized fishbone structure. Then, using the analysis of organizational documents and descriptions of the organizations' services, the identified problems were linked to different organizations. Thus, the three clusters of "economic", "policy and planning", and "health-welfare" had the most problems, and each sector has intervened in resolving them based on its specific function. Determining the role of different organizations revealed that the government, as the primary authority for policymaking and resource allocation, plays a crucial role in decentralizing facilities, allocating budgets, and supporting other sectors. In contrast, local councils and village councils play a more significant role in facilitating public participation, addressing social issues, and coordinating with executive agencies. The private sector can also contribute significantly to the economic prosperity of the Afin watershed by investing in the agricultural products sector and its marketing. The university should also play a role by entering the field of producing environmentally friendly technologies, training specialized personnel, processing natural barberry, and providing solutions for producing barberry-based by-products. The university should also play a role by entering the field of producing environmentally friendly technologies, training specialized personnel, and providing scientific innovations in the field of sustainable watershed management. Among these, one practical example is providing solutions for optimizing the exploitation of barberry, processing by-products, and developing its value chain. However, the university's role extends beyond this sector to include scientific and technological support for other management fields as well. Conclusion and Suggestions The Efin watershed, as one of the largest barberry production centers in South Khorasan, has a privileged position in the production of agricultural and horticultural products. On the other hand, the existence of multiple faults in this watershed has caused local communities to suffer significant financial and human losses during earthquakes. Accordingly, synergy between government institutions and the private sector can not only strengthen the agricultural economy of the region but also contribute to the sustainability of human societies. At the same time, the role of other actors in this process is also vital, such that universities by producing new knowledge and technologies, councils and village councils by improving the level of local participation, and military-regime forces by providing security and technical support, each play a specific role in advancing sustainable watershed management. Accordingly, by utilizing the capacity of the private sector in barberry processing and the production of secondary food and pharmaceutical products, the raw sale of this valuable product can be prevented. By creating added value, the income of local communities can be increased and sustained. On the other hand, given the strong dependence of water resources on rainfall, implementing existing water resource management plans and improving their economic productivity can significantly help prevent migration and depopulation of the region. |