The role of rural poverty and literacy in pasture destruction case study: Poshtab district of Zabol Township

The aim of present study is considering the role of economic rural poverty and literacy in environment destruction of the surveyed pastures of Poshtab district in Zabol Township. Data were collected via library and field method. For this reason the affection of both direct and indirect function of human on environment (pasture) destruction resulted from rural exploiters’ social and economic poverty have been considered. The factors such as low average of per capita income of rural families, low pasture’s output and non-availability of job opportunities are economic poverty factors of rural exploiters; and the low literacy level of rural family and high number of family are social poverty factors of rural exploiters. The results showed that villager’s social and economic poverty cause to environment (pasture) destruction with direct (cutting shrubs to secure fuel, sale and creating pen) and indirect function of human (keeping livestock more than capacity of pasture).