Rural People Participation in order to Desertification, Job Creation and Afforestation in International Project of Carbon Sequestration

This project was the participatory work between forest, pastures and aquiferous organization in Iran and UNDP in order to achieving revival destroyed pastures in the field of Hosein abad Sarbisheh in South Khorasan province, IRAN by using resistant varieties and absorbing additional carbon in atmosphere with profiting participation of people during 2003- 2012. Carbon sequestration Projects are paying with using participatory methods in rural empowerment of low income groups and specially low income group to the development of rural infrastructure. This participation was performed for the first time a non-profit institutions and charities and takes place in the "Kasrab" Village of the project within poverty reduction, employment creation, providing sustainable livelihood opportunities ,womenʹs empowerment and environmental rehabilitation will be able to gain empower rural with resource management in addition to their capacity and necessary self-esteem to influence executive policy. Land degradation and desertification is one of the pressing challenges of the Islamic Republic of Iran. About 85 % of the area (about 39.4 million ha out of 164.8 million ha) has been classified as arid and semi-arid which just receives between 30 to 250 mm of rainfall annually. Many of the semi-arid areas are degraded with a vegetative cover ranging from 5 % to 50%. Yet if nothing is done in these low rainfall areas, the incidence of desert creep and rangeland degradation will increase with more adverse social and environmental consequences. Realizing the serious problems posed by land degradation and desertification for the nation building and prosperity of the people, the government has identified the rehabilitation of degraded lands as its one of the top development priorities. The Government policy of vesting the ownership of resources and reclaimed land to local community is worth noting here.In April 2003, a ‘ carbon sequestration’ initiative funded by Global Environment Facility( GEF )was signed between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (GIRl) and United Nations Development Program( UNDP )to promote and model carbon sequestration by planting resistant species in dry land area through participatory approach to land management.It has been generally believed that dry areas can be rejuvenated at a relatively low cost if a partnership is formed between the people, the government and civil society .Incorporating woody plants into the reclamation program it can reduce desert creep, provide some animal browse and at the same time increase the carbon store. The project demonstrated that decertified rangelands can be cost-effectively reclaimed by and for the benefit of the local people and that there is a significant potential to sequestrate carbon in plants and soil in these areas for overall global benefit. The lessons drawn in true collaborative rehabilitation and management of natural resources could be applied in similar places in Iran and even in other countries with similar conditions.