Analysis of Adapting Indigenous Knowledge and Local Initiatives in Management of Water Resources (Case Study: Gezir Plain)

Barzegar, Maryam; Ghorbani, Mehdi; Hassanzadeh, Alireza; Hosseini Gezir, Abdolvahed

doi:10.22059/ijar.2019.71600

Analysis of Adapting Indigenous Knowledge and Local Initiatives in Management of Water Resources (Case Study: Gezir Plain)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Maryam Barzegar ¹

Mehdi Ghorbani ²

Alireza Hassanzadeh ³

Abdolvahed Hosseini Gezir ⁴

¹ M.Sc. graduate, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² Associate Professor, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

³ Assistant Professor, Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Center, Tehran, Iran.

⁴ MA graduate, International Desert Research Center (IDRC), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/ijar.2019.71600

Abstract

Today, achieving a water resource management plan is a vital goal. Adapting indigenous knowledge and local innovations which are compatible with environmental conditions, can be considered as an appropriate way to achieve this goal. Indigenous people have special abilities to recognize and use experiences gained through interactions between society and environment and transmitted between generations. In this research we tried to introduce and explain the role of indigenous knowledge and local initiatives in the common management of water resources of the Gezir plain. The study is a qualitative survey research, and field information is collected by direct observations, participatory observations and interviews with 173 informed farmers. The results showed that Indigenous structures of Maghsam, Algah, Band, Nozuo Well, Yowrad, Al, and Borcow have a significant role in conservation and management of water resources. In fact, they are highly efficient and adaptive in their climatic and cultural conditions. Therefore, sharing indigenous ecologic knowledge plays a significant role in improving adaptive capacity of social- ecological systems against water scarcity.

Keywords

Local Innovations

Indigenous Knowledge

Adaptive Capacity

Algah

Water Resource Management

Maghsam