Many rural settlements are influenced by protected areas. Special management, social, and economic features of these areas can have both positive and negative effects on the villages in various forms. The present study aimed to study the effects of protected areas in Iran on surrounding villages. The population consisted of 8 villages in the city of Songhor, Kermanshah province, Iran. These villages are near the protected areas of Badr and Parishan. Based on Cochran formula, 250 subjects were considered to fill out the questionnaire of effect of the protected areas on villages. Also, the developed VIKOR model was used to investigate the effect of the protected areas on villages, and finally the relationship between the distance effect and the altitude of villages from the protected areas was studied using IDW method. The findings showed that the protected areas had effects on welfare, livelihood, migration, and participation in rural development and increasing inequality. Moreover, the closer the villages were to the protected areas, they were more affected. The direct effects of altitude were also found.