Introduction of Local Knowledge on Watershed Management and Aquaculture in Iran (Case Study of Hormozgan Province)

Abstract Indigenous knowledge in the field of water and soil has attracted great attention due to its desirable functions, in particular ensuring high compatibility and maintaining ecological balance as well as attracting popular support and encouraging participation. The need for technology and knowledge that, while responding to the growing needs of societies, will also use the natural resources of the environment in a sustainable manner has doubled the importance of collection and compilation of indigenous knowledge in recent years. Obtaining this knowledge is only possible through the combination of formal knowledge and indigenous knowledge. As a result, efforts to collect knowledge of native watershed management and attempts to  integrate it with modern sciences are necessary in the present conditions. Due to climatic and environmental constraints of the area, people of Hormozgan have long used various practices in the field of exploitation of water and soil resources and rain harvesting. These techniques are traditionally and experimentally obtained by the people themselves. Rainfall basin systems, traditional management and exploitation of floods, saline and fresh water separation, soil conservation, utilizing sloped lands, and flood farming are a series of measures taken by people in the dry Hormozgan region, Persian Gulf islands and communities living on the coasts of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. These practices include the traditional ways of protecting and exploiting soil and water resources, which are presented here with an overview of goals, functions, location, design, implementation, and operation. In this article, a number of traditional watershed management structures and techniques are introduced as part of the larger collection of indigenous watershed management practices in Hormozgan province.