Policy Abstract
This article aims to provide policy suggestions for sustaining the Zagros Forests based on grounded theory methodology. The results showed that forest decline is a multifaceted phenomenon, and addressing it requires understanding various dimensions and the dynamic relationships among them. The collapse of traditional institutions and the weakness of the bureaucratic and formal institutions governing forest resources are the causal conditions of the Zagros Forest decline. Context conditions indicate heavy livelihood dependency on forest resources due to poverty and underdevelopment, along with numerous socio-economic issues that exceed the ecosystems’ carrying capacity, which form a meta-forestry problem. Four policy recommendations are proposed: reformulating the policy‑making process, which focuses on good governance principles; implementing a program for the conservation and participatory management of Zagros ecosystems; creating a systemic, dynamic, and problem‑oriented forest resources implementation mechanism involving key stakeholders; and establishing a National Fund mechanism for financing the conservation of Zagros Ecosystems.