Analysis of factors contributing to the occurrence of crime in natural resources: a thematic analysis

Document Type : Scientific article

Authors

1 Graduated in Range Management, Gonbad Kavous University, Gonbad Kavous, I. R. Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Gonbad Kavous University, Gonbad Kavous, I. R. Iran

3 Independent researcher, Graduated in Environmental Design Engineering, University of Tehran. I. R. Iran

Abstract

Background and objectives: Natural resources are fundamental to human life. Today, natural resource areas are considered a key component of sustainable development programs in various countries. The degradation of natural resources and their overexploitation are major challenges facing development programs, leading many human settlements towards unsustainability. Research indicates that 87% of natural resource degradation factors in the country are human-induced, while only 13% are natural. Golestan Province, with an area of 20,367 square kilometers in northern Iran, is experiencing ecosystem degradation. The high incidence of crimes against natural resources in Golestan Province and their widespread destruction highlight the need for a thorough examination of the causes of these crimes and strategies to prevent them. This will help improve natural resource management in Golestan. Although limited research has been done on the causes of crimes in natural resources, this qualitative study aims to analyze these causes for the first time using thematic analysis.
Material and Methods: This research is qualitative and applied, using a thematic analysis approach. Interviews were conducted from October 2022 to March 2023 with experts from the protection units and managers of natural resource departments in the Ramian, Kallaleh, and Galikesh counties in eastern Golestan Province. According to the principle of theoretical saturation, 21 interviews were conducted, resulting in approximately 27 pages of interview text, providing about 6,000 words for data analysis. To achieve the study's main objective, the three-stage content analysis process by King et al. (2018) was used to examine the challenges related to natural resource crimes. In the first stage, open coding was performed on the content of all interviews, resulting in 154 initial codes with the strongest conceptual significance. In the next stage, 21 sub-themes were identified by recognizing similarities and differences. Sub-themes with the greatest semantic and conceptual similarity were grouped together, and organizing themes (main themes) were counted. Finally, the MAXQDA20 software was used to create a schematic network.
Results: According to the study results, factors affecting the occurrence of crimes can be categorized into two main topics: cross-sectional factors and sectional factors. Cross-sectional factors include three subtopics: "Legal Factors," "Economic Factors," and "Social and Cultural Factors." Among the legal factors, "High volume of judicial cases and long judicial procedures" with 14 occurrences was the most cited. Sub-factors "Lack of decisive action against offenders" and "Lack of legal regulations (deficient and outdated laws)" followed with 9 and 7 occurrences, respectively. Among economic factors, "Poverty and economic fragility of households" with 14 occurrences was the most cited, followed by "Unemployment" and "Market demand without legal foresight" with 6 and 5 occurrences, respectively. The third cross-sectional topic is cultural-social factors affecting crime occurrence, consisting of two sub-factors: "Political pressure and incorrect perceptions by officials regarding scientific issues related to natural resource protection" and "Lack of environmental cultural awareness." The sub-factor "Political pressure and incorrect perceptions by officials" had 11 occurrences. Analysis of organizational factors affecting crime occurrence revealed that "Insufficient human resources for protection" and "Lack of legal support for protective forces" were the most important with 15 and 12 occurrences, respectively.
Conclusion: Controlling crimes and social anomalies in the realm of natural resources and national lands requires appropriate policymaking at legislative, executive, and judicial stages. The results of interviews with natural resource experts and managers in the eastern counties of Golestan Province reveal significant challenges related to natural resource crimes and their management. These challenges require the identification of solutions, which are currently under investigation.

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References

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Forest Research and Development
Volume 10, Issue 2
September 2024
Pages 223-240

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