An incomplete information static game evaluating community-based forest management in Zagros, Iran

Abstract

The present study adopts a game theory approach analyzing land-use planning in Zagros forests, Iran. A Static Game of Incomplete Information (SGII) was applied to the evaluation of participatory forest management in the study area. This tool allows a complete assessment of sustainable forest planning producing two modeling scenarios based on (i) high and (ii) low social acceptance. According to the SGII results, the Nash Bayesian Equilibrium (NBE) strategy suggests the importance of landscape protection in forest management. The results of the NBE analytical strategy show that landscape protection with barbed wires is the most used strategy in local forest management. The response to the local community includes cooperation in conditions of high social acceptance and noncooperation in conditions of low social acceptance. Overall, social acceptance is an adaptive goal in forest management plans.