Developing watershed management strategies using SWOT and QSPM techniques

The lack of strategies compatible with watershed characteristics may confuse watershed management practices, which can lead to a decrease in watershed health. This research aimed to develop strategies to increase the health and services of the Barajin watershed. The SWOT and QSPM frameworks were used to identify and prioritize the strategies. The total weighted scores of internal and external factors are equal to − 0.972 and + 0.372, respectively, which implies the dominance of weaknesses over strengths and opportunities over threats. The existence of water resources, the weakness of vegetation, the high demand for watershed products, and the sectoralism of related organizations with weighted scores equal to 0.961, 0.927, 1.129, and 0.961 are respectively the most important strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat. Among the 16 strategies, SO3, ST3, and WT2 were introduced as the best strategies with overall attractiveness equal to 18.779, 18.608, and 18.029 respectively. To meet the goals of watershed management, these strategies should be implemented through action plans prepared by related stakeholders. Future research can explore the effectiveness of the proposed strategies or expand the analysis to other watersheds for comparative insights.