Amir Reza Keshtkar; Behnaz Asefjah; Yusef Erfanifard; Ali Afzali
Abstract
The development and implementation of practical natural resources and catchment managementpolicies require a comprehensive knowledge of the system processes (biological, physical, andsocio-economic), their complicated interactions, and how they react to different changes. Thecurrent research assessed ...
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The development and implementation of practical natural resources and catchment managementpolicies require a comprehensive knowledge of the system processes (biological, physical, andsocio-economic), their complicated interactions, and how they react to different changes. Thecurrent research assessed the ecological, physical, and socio-economic consequences ofbiologically-based management scenarios targeting runoff and soil erosion problems in theDarenari catchment. The Darenari catchment with an approximate area of 554 ha is located in Farsprovince, Iran. Three biological activities and 8 management scenarios were considered. Ecologicalconsequences were studied using the weighted land cover area index (WLCAI). Physical effectswere investigated applying the runoff curve number (SCS-CN) hydrologic model. Economic andsocial effects were assessed applying the cost/benefit analysis as well as examining the outcomes ofa social survey. Then, a fuzzy AHP approach was applied to weigh the criteria and ultimately, thebest management option was chosen using FTOPSIS model. The results showed that social criteriawith the highest weight and scenario No 8 was the best scenario and had first priority. The resultsidicated that the multi-criteria decision making techniques included capability of expressingdifferent aspects of the problem and are the perfect tool for watershed resources management.