Modeling environmentally responsible behaviors among rural women in the forested regions in Iran

Natural resources in general and forest resources in particular have been exposed to the risk of extensive degradation in recent years, but the solution for their conservation lies in the cooperation of the entire society, especially rural women. There is a close and relationship between natural resources marginalized rural women living close to forests in developing countries. However, the relevant literature has ignored the conservative and eco-friendly behaviors of rural women. This study mainly aimed to discover the factors determining forest conservation behaviors among rural women. The research used the protection motivation theory (PMT) as its framework to study the factors underpinning forest conservation behaviors among rural women, using the questionnaire-based survey method and structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population included all rural women older than 15 years living at the margin of the Zagros forests in Lorestan province, western Iran. Data analysis showed that all PMT constructs had a significant effect on forest conservation behaviors and accounted for 68.7% of the total variance in the factors. Self-efficacy was the most important factor influencing forest conservation behaviors. Accordingly, policymakers can promote conservation behaviors for the natural resources and environment by emphasizing self-efficacy.