Green Management in Rural Areas: A Case Study of Deyhook District, South Khorasan

Introduction
Rural sustainable development is a multifaceted challenge for spatial planning and management systems, requiring integrated strategies that harmonize economic, technological, environmental, and socio-cultural subsystems to foster cohesive growth. Effective approaches must also incorporate strategic planning and regulatory actions to ultimately achieve equitable rural development and reduce urban-rural disparities. In this context, global experiences increasingly support the adoption of green management as a viable pathway. Iran and its surrounding geographical regions face severe environmental challenges, including natural resource degradation, water scarcity, land degradation, and biodiversity loss. These pressures amplify the urgency of embracing green management, sustainable development, and the green industrial revolution—particularly in rural areas. The Deyhook district in Tabas County, South Khorasan Province, eastern Iran, exemplifies these challenges: chronic water scarcity, soil erosion, declining biodiversity, reliance on water-intensive agriculture, and weak waste and renewable energy management. For instance, due to climate change and prolonged droughts, among 16 villages with populations over 20 households, eight larger villages receive water via tanker trucks under rationing from Deyhook city, while the remaining eight face severe declines in spring and qanat yields. In many villages, agriculture has collapsed entirely, wells have been equipped with smart meters, and residents struggle to secure even basic domestic water supplies. Moreover, excessive groundwater extraction by coal mines at three geographically dispersed sites has led to the abandonment of villages such as Parudeh, Pikuh, and Nistan. If current trends continue, the long-term habitability of the region is at serious risk. Since the sustainability of human settlements fundamentally depends on residents’ livelihoods—and, by extension, on reliable and sustainable access to productive resources—proper management, particularly within a green management framework, can not only promote resource efficiency but also enhance the economic, social, and environmental resilience of these communities. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the rural settlements of Deyhook district based on green management principles and to propose practical solutions for transforming the current unsustainable conditions into a more resilient and sustainable future.
 
Methodology
This study is applied in purpose and descriptive in nature. The statistical population consists of two expert groups: regional experts and local experts and informed stakeholders. The first group—regional experts—includes seven members comprising technical staff from the Deyhook district administration and university academics with expertise in sustainable rural development. This group was responsible for identifying key criteria and sub-criteria related to rural green management and determining their relative weights using the Analytic Network Process (ANP), a multi-criteria decision-making method suitable for capturing interdependencies among factors. The second group—local experts and informed stakeholders—comprises village administrators (Dehyars) and members of Islamic Councils from all 16 villages in the Deyhook district. In each village, a local expert panel of 2 to 4 members was formed. These panels participated in assessing the current status of their villages regarding green management indicators through structured questionnaires based on the Rural Settlement Evaluation Framework. Data collected from these assessments were analyzed using the MARCOS (Measurement Alternatives and Ranking according to Compromise Solution) method to rank villages based on their performance in green management. Finally, to identify actionable strategies for improvement, insights from both expert groups were integrated and structured within the SOAR framework (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results), which emphasizes positive, vision-driven planning. This mixed-method approach—combining ANP for weighting, MARCOS for ranking, and SOAR for strategy development—ensures a robust, participatory, and context-sensitive evaluation, supporting both diagnostic analysis and practical intervention in rural sustainability planning.
 
Findings
At the macro level, the criterion "Residents' Environmental Ethics and Culture" holds the highest weight (0.166), indicating that experts view behavioral change, awareness, and the development of a sustainability culture as the most fundamental drivers of successful green management. Using the MARCOS method, villages in the Deyhook district of Tabas County were ranked based on green management criteria, revealing significant differences in sustainable development levels and performance. Esfandiar village ranked first with the highest efficiency index (f(Ki) = 0.665), emerging as a model for green management—likely due to stronger sustainable infrastructure, effective waste management, access to modern technologies, and a participatory environmental culture. Esfahk (0.611) and Chirok (0.607) followed in second and third place, reflecting relatively strong sustainability performance. Overall, higher-ranked villages (1–6) demonstrate better outcomes in infrastructure, renewable energy, education, and environmental culture. Key strengths include the region’s largest wildlife refuge with high biodiversity, vast coal reserves, and unique geotourism sites—offering solid foundations for green economy, sustainable tourism, and new energy initiatives. External opportunities, such as access to innovative climate and energy practices and engagement of foreign tourists in environmental stewardship, enable knowledge transfer and cultural investment. The defined aspirations—such as green management in all villages, full environmental compatibility, reduced resource waste, and full sustainability—reflect a shift from purely physical development toward a holistic, integrated sustainability model.
 
Discussion and Conclusion
This study develops and applies an integrated framework for rural green management in Deyhook, a desert region under environmental stress. Using MARCOS, significant performance disparities among 16 villages were revealed, with Esfandiar ranking highest and Razaviyeh and Zardgah lowest. Experts emphasized "environmental culture" and "infrastructure" as key drivers, reflecting the importance of behavioral change and sustainable systems. Natural assets and external opportunities support green development. Context-sensitive strategies—like solar energy, water recycling, and civic engagement—are proposed. By integrating theory, field assessment, and practical solutions, this study offers a replicable, holistic model for sustainable transformation in arid rural regions, supporting policy-making, equity, and community resilience through participatory, knowledge-integrated planning.