لقمان امامقلي

The environment, as the foundation of human existence, is currently facing a wide range of complex and transnational challenges and crises that transcend geographical and political boundaries and have seriously threatened the foundations of life on Earth. The consequences and costs of these crises will be severe and irreversible for future generations. Addressing contemporary environmental crises cannot be achieved solely through technological measures or top-down planning; rather, it requires a fundamental rethinking of individual and social behaviors, especially collective actions such as citizen participation and responsibility toward the environment. The continuation of environmental instability will not only endanger ecological life but also seriously undermine the foundations of social policymaking, social justice, welfare state performance, and the structural cohesion of societies. This study seeks to answer the main question: To what extent can citizen participation and responsibility in the cities of Sanandaj and Kirkuk explain and strengthen environmental protection behaviors? The theoretical framework of the study is based on four main theories: Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior, which forms the backbone of the model; Hines et al.’s Model of Responsible Environmental Behavior; Schwartz’s Theory of Personal Norm Activation; and Bourdieu’s Theory of Cultural Capital, each of which addresses the factors influencing environmental behavior from a specific perspective. The study employed a quantitative approach, with data collected through surveys using questionnaires. The sample was selected through a systematic random and multi-stage cluster sampling method. Findings revealed that out of 13 research hypotheses, six direct hypotheses were confirmed, five were rejected, and the moderating hypotheses were supported, while the mediating hypotheses were not fully confirmed. The results further indicated that social participation and individual responsibility among citizens in Sanandaj and Kirkuk are two key factors in explaining environmental protection behaviors. Cultural, social, and political differences, along with variations in environmental policymaking, have led to distinct patterns of citizen behavior. These findings highlight the crucial role of socio-cultural and structural contexts in shaping environmental behaviors and demonstrate that the combination of individual and institutional variables can generate diverse patterns of environmental action. Overall, Sanandaj showed better performance in indicators such as awareness, attitude, responsibility, participation, and environmental behavior, whereas Kirkuk performed better in cultural consumption and facilitating conditions. The results emphasize that achieving environmental sustainability is possible only when public awareness is enhanced, individual responsibility is strengthened, and social and governmental institutions play a facilitating and supportive role in transforming participation into real behavior. Cultural consumption and access to educational resources can also serve as complementary factors in enhancing awareness and strengthening participation; however, these effects do not operate independently and are significantly influenced by levels of environmental awareness, individual attitudes, and institutional conditions. This underlines the necessity of integrating individual and institutional approaches for effective environmental protection.

The present research aims to design and present a model for improving social mobility with an emphasis on the capacities of sports in Iran. This study is a mixed-methods research, comprising both qualitative and quantitative sections. In the qualitative part, participants included experts and specialists in the field of sports who were knowledgeable about the research topic. A total of 16 individuals were selected using purposive sampling. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was reached, and to ensure reliability, two additional interviews were conducted after reaching saturation. In the quantitative section, due to the uncertainty regarding the exact number of the statistical population, 384 national team athletes were considered as the sample size, using Cochran's formula under uncertain conditions, and sampling was conducted through convenience sampling. Data collection tools included in-depth and semi-structured interviews in the qualitative section and a researcher-made questionnaire in the quantitative section. Qualitative data were analyzed using grounded theory and the systematic approach of Strauss and Corbin, while structural equation modeling was employed in the quantitative section. Data analysis was carried out using MAXQDA, SPSS, and AMOS software. The results of the research led to the identification of various dimensions affecting social mobility in sports. In the causal conditions section, four main categories were extracted: the development of educational pathways in sports management, achieving economic and class equality in sports, controlling cultural changes and public perception, and poverty alleviation through sports. These factors were considered as the foundational elements for improving social mobility through sports. Additionally, in the contextual factors section, components such as creating diverse career pathways in sports, strengthening cultural diplomacy, the role of sports as a cultural and social catalyst, decision-making, public understanding of success, and the globalization of sports were identified as facilitators for enhancing the social status of individuals. Moreover, two categories, namely economic exploitation factors and institutional and structural barriers, were recognized as intervening factors that could hinder the complete realization of sports' role in social mobility. In this study, the core category of social mobility was defined in four dimensions: cultural, political, economic, and educational, each representing an independent yet intertwined pathway for enhancing individual and social status through sports participation. The researcher concluded from the analyses and final codes that the strategy of awareness and education is a key approach that plays an important role in achieving various dimensions of social mobility. In the final section of the model, the practical implications of sports in improving social mobility are examined, which include influencing personal life, enhancing social awareness and participation, discovering and nurturing talents, and strengthening cultural and social symbols at the community level. The results from the quantitative section also showed that all variables in the proposed model were statistically significant, and the final model has an appropriate level of validity. In sum, the findings of this research emphasize the necessity for policymakers, sports managers, and social planners to pay attention to the potential of sports as an effective tool for promoting social mobility and provide strategies for more effective use of sports in reducing inequalities and improving social living conditions. In addition, the results from the quantitative section indicated that the research model has a good fit.

Ecosystem service potential is often assessed using land cover data. The actual use of cultural ecosystem services (CES) by stakeholders is often assumed to match the potential of the region. In this research, cultural ecosystem services such as recreation, inspiration, or scenic beauty were evaluated in the Bijar mountain protected area and its surroundings, and the level of alignment and fit between land potential and existing use of CES was studied. The potential of CES was modeled using six biophysical indices derived from ground observations and open space data. For existing CES use, collaborative mapping was utilized with protected area visitors and local experts. For this purpose, visitor preferences were taken into account, and the actual use of CES was modeled as a function of landscape biophysical indicators proportional to the weight of each indicator. Biophysical information and the use of land cover data alone cannot fully describe the actual use of CES, but they showed a good fit of 75% between the modeled potential supply and the actual use. Additionally, accessibility was calculated as an influencing factor in the protected area by computing the travel cost, and the effect was given to increase the explanatory power. The results of this study can improve visitor management by preparing a map of ecosystem cultural services and addressing the actual use of CES, thereby providing basic information for landscape management and conservation planning and management for managers, as well as providing a valuable experience of nature for visitors. Broader socio-cultural characteristics are needed to fully explain the spatial patterns that attracted visitors to CES-protected areas, which require further research and investment.

Achieving sustainable development depends on paying attention to the existing norms in each region. Environmental protection is one of the foundations of sustainable development. The purpose of this research was to identify areas with potential for nature tourism and analyze the norms effective on its actualization in local communities in the protected area of Badr and Parshan in Kurdistan province, Qorve city. The statistical population in this region was 146 people in the villages of Puloserkan, Sarqal, Mihem Sefali, Mihem olia, Vali-Abad and Nemat-Abad, and 106 people were selected as a sample according to Cochran's formula and matching with Morgan's table. In order to calculate the internal consistency of the research tool, Cronbach's alpha statistic method was used. Spearman's correlation was used for the relationship between independent and dependent variables. GIS approach was used to investigate the potential of nature tourism in Badr and Parshan region. In this method, land use indicators, digital height model, vegetation density, slope direction, slope, soil science, distance from the road and distance from water resources were used. The results of the Spearman test showed that all six independent variables (legal norms, normative beliefs, cooperative norms, acceptance of responsibility, awareness of environmental consequences and environmental concerns) have a positive and significant relationship with nature tourism. Also, the empirical t-values of the path of the influence of the acceptance of responsibility factor on the nature tourism factor, the awareness of environmental consequences factor on the nature tourism factor, the participatory norms factor on the acceptance of responsibility factor, the legal norms factor on the nature tourism factor and the concern factor Environment on the factor of nature tourism is greater than the critical value and shows a significant relationship. The results of nature tourism potential showed that most of the study area has "suitable", "moderate", "very unsuitable", "very suitable" and "unsuitable" tourism potential. The area of each of these levels is 11274, 11075, 9786, 9699 and 9250 hectares respectively.