Arezoo Soltani

Norwegian version of this page Faculty of Business Administration and Social Sciences Norwegian version of this page

Position

Professor in Resource Economics

Contact

+47 71195852

arezoo.soltani@himolde.no

Study place

Molde

Office nr.

A-2.066

Research and Scientific activities

Most of my research experience comes from my positions as a researcher at the University of Tehran, Department of Forest Policy and Economics at FAO, PhD student at Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Postdoc position at Norwegian University of Life Sciences and associated professor in economics at Department of Business and Management, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.

My research strategy is to follow inter-disciplinary approaches, work with multi-disciplinary team to make use of the specialized expertise offered by various academic disciplines and to combine quantitative and qualitative research methods. My primary research field is «Forest and Resource Economics. » However, I realized that to obtain sustainable resource use we need a broad and interdisciplinary approach and therefore I have focused mainly on the following fields: «conflict resolution,» «climate change - reduced emission from deforestation and forest degradation known as REDD+,» «optimization programming models» and «game theory.»

Hofstad, Ole & Soltani, Arezoo (2026). Kompensasjon for utsatt hogst. In Alteren, Johanne; Hvattum, Lars Magnus; Oskars, Trond Roger; Straume, Solveig & Teryokhin, Sergei (Ed.), Tid. Fjordantologien 2026. Scandinavian University Press (SCUP). ISSN 9788294167364. p. 397–409. doi: 10.18261/9788294167371-26-18. Full text in Research Archive
Wold, Alejandro Strømstad & Soltani, Arezoo (2026). Population development and economic consequences in Molde municipality. In Alteren, Johanne; Hvattum, Lars Magnus; Oskars, Trond Roger; Straume, Solveig & Teryokhin, Sergei (Ed.), Tid. Fjordantologien 2026. Scandinavian University Press (SCUP). ISSN 9788294167364. p. 343–369. doi: 10.18261/9788294167371-26-16. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Population development is a critical factor influencing economic development and sustainability. This article examines the population development of Molde from 2024 to 2040 using the cohort component method at the local level in greater detail than the national- and regional-level projections provided by the SSB. It assesses the fiscal implications of these demographic changes using a fiscal impact model. The results suggest that the municipality of Molde is expected to experience moderate population growth, a pronounced demographic aging trend, and rising public expenditures over the projection period, resulting in a budget deficit.
Tayebi, Safiyeh; Jabed, Md. Akib; Ruano, Ana Lorena; Lee, Gwenyth O; Silva, Paula F. da & Ahmed, Saleh [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2024). Stakeholder perspectives on landslide triggers and impacts in five countries. Landslides. Journal of the International Consortium on Landslides. ISSN 1612-510X. 21, p. 2033–2043. doi: 10.1007/s10346-024-02270-4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Expert perspectives drive landslide mitigation and post-disaster policy planning. This study examines landslide risk perceptions among the stakeholders (government officials, academics, policy experts, local community representatives, and representatives of NGOs/civil society) across Brazil, Colombia, Nepal, Iran, and Pakistan, identifying both shared concerns and local heterogeneity. Key informants revealed a discrepancy in their degree of concern about landslides, with government officials exhibiting greater apprehension compared to local community representatives. Local community representatives incorrectly perceived landslides to be the result of natural phenomena. In contrast, governmental and academic stakeholders felt that human-induced triggers, specifically those related to land use and land cover change, were significant contributors to landslide occurrences, necessitating stringent law enforcement. The comprehensive impacts of landslides included economic losses, infrastructure disruption, agricultural losses, and food security concerns, underscoring the multifaceted nature of this hazard. Our results suggest the need for proactive citizen engagement in landslide monitoring, recognizing the importance of local contexts. We end by proposing a dual-pronged policy approach that emphasizes the socio-economic context of each region.
Bukhari, Moeen Hamid; Silva, Paula F. da; Pilz, Jürgen; Istanbulluoglu, Erkan; Görüm, Tolga & Lee, Juneseok [Show all 18 contributors for this article] (2023). Community perceptions of landslide risk and susceptibility : a multi-country study. Landslides. Journal of the International Consortium on Landslides. ISSN 1612-510X. 20(6), p. 1321–1334. doi: 10.1007/s10346-023-02027-5. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Landslides are commonly occurring global geological hazards, with negative and far-reaching consequences for human life, and the economic and natural environment. This study analyzes the risk, vulnerability, and resilience of several landslide-prone areas in eight countries based on community perception and attitude related to landslide events through an online survey questionnaire that includes four sections: (1) natural disaster and landslide susceptibility, (2) knowledge and awareness of the causes of landslides, (3) psychological effects of landslide events, and (4) sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics. To gain an in-depth understanding of the landslide risk and sustainability, three state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) approaches, Decision Tree (DT), Xtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), and Random Forest (RF), and a statistical approach, Logistic Regression (LR), were used to investigate and compare the performance of the ML models. The results suggested that indirect losses caused by landslides significantly affect the communities across the globe both psychologically and economically. Furthermore, heavy rain is the most relevant event that was perceived by the communities to trigger a potential landslide, while major civil infrastructure systems, including building and road damages, were found as the main threats to the community due to landslides. The most significant factors related to landslide risk based on the Gini coefficient were found to be land classification, environmental factors, and building material. In addition, based on LR, land classification, landslide health impact, environmental factors, and emergency response were significantly related to landslide risk perception. In summary, the XGB model is feasible in the assessment of landslide susceptibility; the prediction performance is also robust and produced better prediction capacities compared to other ML models. This research can considerably assist stakeholders in making better decisions toward effective landslide hazard management. Future research should focus on expanding this study to other critical landslide-prone communities by involving more diverse population.
Hofstad, Ole & Soltani, Arezoo (2022). Å treffe en bevegelig blink – om bærekraftig skogforvaltning i 100 år. In Hogset, Heidi; Alteren, Johanne; Jæger, Bjørn & Straume, Solveig (Ed.), Bærekraft : Fjordantologien 2022. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215062938. p. 26–40. doi: 10.18261/9788215062938-2022-02. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Formålet er å vise hvordan oppfatninga av begrepet bærekraft harutviklet seg i norsk skogforvaltning de siste 100 år. I lang tid etter den første lands-skogtakseringa i 1919 var profesjonell skogforvaltning i Norge konsentrert om åsørge for at forrådet av tømmertrær i skogen økte etter en tid med overavvirkning istore deler av landet. Bærekraft ble ensbetydende med at uttaket av tømmer ikkeskulle overstige tilveksten i det lange løp. Mye av arbeidet dreide seg om å sikregjenvekst og å erstatte gamle glisne bestand med tett tømmerskog. På Vestlandetble skogreising også en vesentlig del av dette arbeidet.Nå har vi mer tømmer i norske skoger enn vi trenger for å dekke etterspørselen.Avvirkninga har vært betydelig mindre enn tilveksten i over 50 år. Gamle skogforval-tere vil si at norsk skogbruk har overoppfylt målet om bærekraft. Moderne skogfor-valtere vet at universitetsutdannede biologer sammen med miljøbevegelsen ogurbane konsumenter stiller helt andre krav til skogforvaltninga i dag enn hva mangjorde for 50 år siden, definisjonen av bærekraftig skogbruk er mye mer kompleksnå enn da redselen for mangel på trevirke bredte seg for 100 år siden. Vi diskuterer hvilke samfunnsendringer som har påvirket denne forskyvninga avmålsetting – og om det pågår lignende diskusjoner om bærekraftens innhold også iandre deler av økonomien. Nøkkelord: bærekraft, skogforvaltning, tilvekst, tømmer, miljøgoder
Soltani, Arezoo; Rannestad, Meley Mekonen & Hofstad, Ole (2019). Conditional payments for carbon sequestration as a local trading game - A case study from a Tanzanian village. Journal of Environmental Management (JEM). ISSN 0301-4797. 240, p. 331–342. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.03.127. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo & Årethun, Torbjørn (2019). Cultural and touristic aspects of gamalost, a local cheese from the fjord of Norway. Journal of Gastronomy and Tourism. ISSN 2169-2971. 3(4), p. 271–281. doi: 10.3727/216929719X15603602842296. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo (2019). Er karbonlagring i skog i Tanzania et kostnadseffektivt tiltak mot klimaendring? En modellstudie. In Helgesen, Øyvind; Glavee-Geo, Richard; Mustafa, Ghulam; Nesset, Erik & Rice, Paula Maria (Ed.), Modeller : Fjordantologien 2019. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215034393. p. 205–222. doi: 10.18261/9788215034393-2019-09. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
REDD+ er et sett med tiltak for å redusere utslipp fra avskoging og skogforringelse. Et slikt tiltak kan være et system for betaling for miljøtjenester der lokalsamfunn i utviklingsland reduserer utslippene fra nærliggende skog mot at en REDD+ organisasjon betaler kompensasjon. Artikkelen vurderer kostnadene ved å bevare Miombo-skog i en typisk landsby i Tanzania ved å lage en bio-økonomisk modell der biologiske og økonomiske komponenter inkluderes. Vi tar for oss en beslutningstaker (f.eks. Norges internasjonale skog- og klimainitiativ) som er interessert i å redusere utslippene fra Miombo så effisient som mulig, og en landsby som har som mål å maksimere netto nåverdi av sin arealbruk. Beregningene inkluderte betaling for fangst og lagring av karbon i skog samt inventeringskostnader og andre transaksjonskostnader. Målet var dels å knytte CO2-prisen som hindrer avskoging og skogforringelse til avkastningen i jordbruket og til beslutningstakernes diskonteringsrente. Videre studerte vi hvordan biologiske og økonomiske faktorer påvirket prisen på CO2 og de samlede kostnadene med fangst og lagring av CO2. Vi fant at kostnadene for å unngå avskoging og skogforringelse i Miombo i Tanzania er ganske høye i forhold til hva man ellers må betale for REDD+ i utviklingsland.
Gebregziabher, Dawit & Soltani, Arezoo (2019). Exclosures in people’s mind: perceptions and attitudes in the Tigray Region. Forest Policy and Economics. ISSN 1389-9341. 101, p. 1–14. doi: 10.1016/j.forpol.2019.01.012. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
The paper examines the perceptions and attitudes of local people living next to nine exclosures in the Tigray RegioninEthiopia.Socialexchangetheorywasusedastheoreticalframeworkanddatawerecollectedfrom446 farminghouseholds.Factoranalysis,multiplelinearregressionandbinarylogisticregressionwereappliedtothe data to identify factors that influenced local household heads’ perceptions of and attitudes towards existing exclosures and further expansion of exclosures. Household heads’ perceptions of exclosures could be grouped undersocial,economicandecologicaldimensions.Somehouseholdheadsexpressedpositiveattitudestowards theexistingexclosures,whilesomewereconcernedaboutthefutureexpansionoftheexclosures.Thefindings alsorevealedthathouseholds’socio-economicprofile,households’knowledgeaboutexclosures,theecological conditionsofexclosures,andthegeographicalattributesofexclosuresallplayedimportantrolesinshapinglocal household heads’ perceptions of exclosures. Moreover, their perceptions of exclosures were significantly correlated with tangible benefits and costs associated with exclosures. Thus, improvement in local communities’ attitudes towards and support for exclosures would follow if exclosures contributed more directly to people’s livelihoods.However,thelevelofsupportforexclosuresisremarkablegiventhefactthattheyhavebeenclosed forgrazingandotheruses.
Gebregziabher, Dawit; Soltani, Arezoo; Hofstad, Ole & Betemariam, Ermias (2018). Ensuring rural energy security: a path to sustainable land restoration movement in Africa. Nature&Faune. ISSN 2026-5611. 31(1), p. 75–78. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo & Hofstad, Ole (2018). Carbon sequestration payments in Miombo woodlands when transaction and inventory costs are included. Scandinavian Forest Economics. ISSN 0355-032X. 48, p. 216–230. Full text in Research Archive
Gebregziabher, Dawit; Soltani, Arezoo & Hofstad, Ole (2018). Management practices of selected exclosures in the Tigray, Ethiopia. Scandinavian Forest Economics. ISSN 0355-032X. 48, p. 231–239. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Idsø, Johannes & Årethun, Torbjørn (2017). Solidity and effective interest rate in Norwegian electricity sector. In Arnold, Vicky; Stefanou, Constantinos J. & Sutton, Steve G. (Ed.), Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Enterprise Systems, Accounting and Logistics (14th ICESAL 2017). International Conference on Enterprise Systems, Accounting and Logistics (ICESAL). ISSN 9789602871553. Full text in Research Archive
Gebregziabher, Dawit; Soltani, Arezoo & Hofstad, Ole (2017). Equity in the distribution of values of outputs from exclosures in Tigray, Ethiopia. Journal of Arid Environments. ISSN 0140-1963. 146, p. 75–85. doi: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2017.07.003. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo (2017). Om å finne balansen mellom materielle og immaterielle mål ved forvaltningen av statseide naturressurser. In Andersen, John Roger; Bjørhusdal, Eli; Nesse, Jon Gunnar & Årethun, Torbjørn (Ed.), Immateriell kapital. Fjordantologien 2017. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215028163. p. 324–338. doi: 10.18261/9788215028163-2017-17. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Artikkelen viser hvordan målprogrammering kan brukes for å finne optimal forvaltning av skog når en ønsker å nå to mål som er i konflikt med hverandre. For å lage en bio-sosio-økonomisk modell av skogen må både biologiske, sosiale og økonomiske komponenter inkluderes. Her viser vi en slik modell som predikerer utviklinga i 35 år gitt en rekke restriksjoner som er definert av markedet, statlig politikk, tradisjonelle institusjoner og lokal kunnskap. Resultatet viser at de tradisjonelle institusjonene og den lokale kunnskapen er med på å sikre at skogen ikke ødelegges.
Soltani, Arezoo; Sankhayan, Prem Lall & Hofstad, Ole (2016). Playing forest governance games: State-village conflict in Iran. Forest Policy and Economics. ISSN 1389-9341. 73, p. 251–261. doi: 10.1016/j.forpol.2016.09.021. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Sankhayan, Prem Lall; Hofstad, Ole; Eshraghi, Farshid & Arabmazar, Abbas (2016). Consequences of an Improved Road Network in Rural Iran: Does it Lead to Better Livelihoods and Forest Protection? Small-scale Forestry. ISSN 1873-7617. 16(3), p. 347–365. doi: 10.1007/s11842-016-9360-z. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Sankhayan, Prem Lall & Hofstad, Ole (2016). Theory of non-cooperative games as a tool to understand state-local conflicts in forest management. Scandinavian Forest Economics. ISSN 0355-032X. 46, p. 208–216. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Sankhayan, Prem Lall & Hofstad, Ole (2015). A recipe for co-management of forest and livestock - Results of bio-economic model at a village level in Iran. Agricultural Systems. ISSN 0308-521X. 140, p. 74–86. doi: 10.1016/j.agsy.2015.09.001. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Eid, Tron Haakon & Hofstad, Ole (2015). Optimizing management of goats and oak trees for sustainability and community's welfare: a case study from Zagros, Iran. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. ISSN 0282-7581. 30(1), p. 49–59. doi: 10.1080/02827581.2014.920909. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Angelsen, Arild & Eid, Tron Haakon (2014). Poverty, forest dependence and forest degradation links: evidence from Zagros, Iran. Environment and Development Economics. ISSN 1355-770X. 19(5), p. 607–630. doi: 10.1017/S1355770X13000648. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Sankhayan, Prem Lall & Hofstad, Ole (2014). A dynamic bio-economic model for community management of goat and oak forests in Zagros, Iran. Ecological Economics. ISSN 0921-8009. 106, p. 174–185. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.07.020. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo & Eid, Tron Haakon (2013). Organization, practices and performance of community-based traditional forest management - empirical evidence from Zagros, Iran. Forests, Trees and Livelihoods. ISSN 1472-8028. 22, p. 19–37. doi: 10.1080/14728028.2013.764168. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Angelsen, Arild; Eid, Tron Haakon; Naieni, Mohammad Saeid Noori & Shamekhi, Taghi (2012). Poverty, sustainability, and household livelihood strategies in Zagros, Iran. Ecological Economics. ISSN 0921-8009. 79, p. 60–70. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.04.019. Full text in Research Archive

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Soltani, Arezoo & Hofstad, Ole (2026). Prisen for reduserte klimagassutslipp. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo & Hofstad, Ole (2023). Grønt næringsliv? Romsdals Budstikke.. ISSN 0806-5160. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo & Hofstad, Ole (2023). Klimatilpasning er viktigere enn å stoppe endringene. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo & Hofstad, Ole (2023). Klimatilpasning er viktigere enn å stoppe endringene. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo & Hofstad, Ole (2022). Bærekraft - en bevegelig blink. Full text in Research Archive
Hofstad, Ole & Soltani, Arezoo (2021). Å treffe en bevegelig blink - om bærekraftig skogforvaltning i 100 år. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo (2020). Bioøkonomiske modeller- et verktøy for bærekraftig utvikling. In Longvanes, Leif Jostein & Årethun, Torbjørn (Ed.), Berekraftig verdiskaping. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245024005. p. 71–82. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Formålet med boka er gjennom ulike case å syne kva berekraftig verdiskaping er, og å gje eit bidrag til å utvikle ein modell for å forklare dette omgrepet. Boka er relevant for fleire grupper av lesarar, mellom anna avgjerdstakarar innan politikk, forvaltning og privat næringsliv. Antologien vil og kunne nyttast som pensum i fag innan økonomi, fornybar energi og samfunnsansvar.
Soltani, Arezoo; Årethun, Torbjørn & Idsø, Johannes (2019). Regional economic impacts of local food-a case study of Gamalost in Vik, Norway. Full text in Research Archive
Gebregziabher, Dawit; Soltani, Arezoo & Hofstad, Ole (2017). Potential Drivers of Illegal Harvest on Exclosures in Tigrai Region, Ethiopia. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Rannestad, Meley Mekonen & Hofstad, Ole (2017). Local REDD+ payments as a trading game – a case study from a Tanzanian village. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Idsø, Johannes & Årethun, Torbjørn (2017). Soliditeten og den effektive lånerenten i kraftbransjen. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Rannestad, Meley Mekonen & Hofstad, Ole (2017). Multi objective bio-economic model for conflict analysis in carbon trading game. Full text in Research Archive
Rannestad, Meley Mekonen; Soltani, Arezoo & Jjumba, Justine Namaalwa (2016). Bio-economic modelling approaches for forest management in developing countries: opportunities and challenges. In Baardsen, Sjur; Eid, Tron & Hoen, Hans Fredrik (Ed.), Festschrift in honor of professors Ole Hofstad and Birger Solberg. Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet (NMBU). p. 109–113. Full text in Research Archive
Rannestad, Meley Mekonen; Soltani, Arezoo & Hofstad, Ole (2016). Optimal use of land under the REDD+ regime: the case of Mlumbilo village, Tanzania. Scandinavian Forest Economics. ISSN 0355-032X. 46, p. 219–219. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Eid, Tron Haakon & Hofstad, Ole (2013). A dynamic bio-economic model for community management of goat and oak forests in Zagros, Iran. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Angelsen, Arild & Eid, Tron Haakon (2012). A comparative analysis of forest dependence,sustainability and tenure in Zagros, Iran. Full text in Research Archive
Wold, Alejandro Strømstad & Soltani, Arezoo (2025). Population development and economic consequences in Molde municipality. Høgskolen i Molde - Vitenskapelig høgskole i logistikk. Full text in Research Archive
Soltani, Arezoo; Hofstad, Ole & Gebregziabher, Dawit (2018). Socioeconomics and governance of exclosures in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet (NMBU). ISSN 9788257515584. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Land degradation and deforestation problems exists across sub-Saharan Africa in general and these remained as the major environmental problems in the Tigray region for many years. The joint effort of the regional government and the local communities had started to rehabilitate the degraded lands by closing it from human and animal interferences that is termed as exclosure. Even though there are a number of studies on exclosures, many of them are mainly focusing on biophysical dimensions of exclosures. Therefore, this thesis was designed to address the following objectives. To examine how values of outputs from exclosures are distributed and identifying factors that influence its distribution (Paper I), to assess perception and attitude of the household heads’ towards exclosures (Paper II) and to learn from local communities on the institutions for environmental rehabilitation in the Tigray Region (Paper III)
Baardsen, Sjur; Bryden, John Marshall; Refsgaard, Karen; Nordskog, Kjersti; Cappelen, Katja Strøm & Lie, Helene [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2011). Comparative perspectives on rural development and policy challenges in Sogn og Fjordane. NIBIO. ISSN 9788270778089. Full text in Research Archive

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Published Aug. 13, 2019 10:12 AM - Last modified Oct. 7, 2024 8:24 AM