Hamideh Derakhshan; Arash Malekian; Shahram Khalighi Sigaroodi
Abstract
Groundwater resources are of great importance as a vital source of water supply in many regions of the world. Due to its geographical and climatic characteristics, Garmsar Plain is highly dependent on groundwater resources, especially in providing agricultural and drinking water. In this study, the DRASTIC ...
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Groundwater resources are of great importance as a vital source of water supply in many regions of the world. Due to its geographical and climatic characteristics, Garmsar Plain is highly dependent on groundwater resources, especially in providing agricultural and drinking water. In this study, the DRASTIC model was used to assess the potential for qualitative vulnerability of groundwater resources in Garmsar Plain. This model uses seven main parameters including groundwater depth, net recharge, aquifer environment, soil environment, topography, Impact of vadose zone, and hydraulic conductivity to comprehensively analyze the quality vulnerability of groundwater resources. By integrating the seven benchmark maps used in the DRASTIC model in a GIS environment using the overlap index method, the final vulnerability index of the studied aquifer was calculated. Accordingly, the final drastic vulnerability index was between 54 and 145. About nine percent of the study area has no pollution potential, 39 percent has very low potential, 30 percent has low potential, 17 percent has low to medium potential, and five percent has medium to high vulnerability potential. Sensitivity analysis was also used to examine the results more closely and identify the more effective components on the vulnerability of groundwater resources. Based on the results of the model sensitivity analysis using the parameter elimination and single parameter methods, the vadose zone effect parameter showed the highest sensitivity in both methods.
Farhad Aghajanlou; Peyman Akbarzadeh
Abstract
Rangelands, as one of the vital ecosystems in Iran's arid and semi-arid regions, play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation, soil erosion prevention, and forage supply. In recent years, anthropogenic pressures such as overgrazing and climate change have led to the decline in species diversity and ...
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Rangelands, as one of the vital ecosystems in Iran's arid and semi-arid regions, play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation, soil erosion prevention, and forage supply. In recent years, anthropogenic pressures such as overgrazing and climate change have led to the decline in species diversity and the ecological degradation of rangelands. This study aimed to investigate the trends of plant species diversity and richness indices from 2021 to 2023 (corresponding to 1400–1402 in the Iranian calendar) in the Jishabad rangeland site of Tarom County. For this purpose, a systematic sampling design was applied, in which four main plots (each 10×10 m) were randomly selected within a one-hectare study site. In each main plot, four subplots of 1×1 m were established. Field measurements were conducted during the peak growth season (May–June) over three consecutive years. In each subplot, data on species composition, life form, percentage cover of vegetation, litter, moss, bare soil, gravels, and erosion intensity were recorded. Species identification was conducted using reliable floristic references for Iranian flora. Diversity indices including richness (Margalef and Menhinick), evenness (Pielou), and diversity (Shannon–Wiener and Simpson) were calculated and analyzed using appropriate parametric and non-parametric statistical methods.The results revealed that biodiversity indices varied significantly across the study years. Results showed significant increases in biodiversity indices over the study period (2021–2023): the mean number of species per subplot rose from 5.69 in 2021 to 7.75 in 2023 (P < 0.01); the Shannon–Wiener index increased from 1.62 to 1.96, and the Simpson index from 0.16 to 0.83 These changes, accompanied by a 10% reduction in bare soil cover and increased perennial plant frequency, were likely driven by grazing management, natural exclosure, and favorable climatic conditions.
Hasan Ashtari; Mehdi Ghorbani; Seyed Amir Hossein Garakaani; Sedigheh Ghafari; Sajad Amiri; Maryam Yazdanparast
Abstract
In the dynamic landscape of sustainable land governance, it is crucial to identify stakeholders' positions to formulate and implement policies effectively. In this study, the position of organizations involved in the stakeholder policy network was examined using social network analysis after the implementation ...
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In the dynamic landscape of sustainable land governance, it is crucial to identify stakeholders' positions to formulate and implement policies effectively. In this study, the position of organizations involved in the stakeholder policy network was examined using social network analysis after the implementation of the Development and Advancement Plan of Rural Constellations in Gachsaran County. Twenty-two stakeholders associated with the plan were identified, and their interactions in terms of information exchange and collaboration were assessed. Subsequently, stakeholders' position and power were determined using four primary indicators: degree centrality, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, and eigenvector centrality. According to the results, the highest in-degree centrality belongs to organizations such as Governorate, District Office, Omid Entrepreneurship Fund, Islamic Revolution Housing Foundation, and Agricultural Jihad Organization. Therefore, the highest level of popularity and political authority in the network belong to these actors. The highest out-degree centrality, closeness, betweenness, and eigenvector centrality belong to organizations such as Governorate, Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, Omid Entrepreneurship Fund, and Islamic Revolution Housing Foundation. These actors have a higher position in terms of political influence, mediation, access to resources and information, and political power. In general, the out-degree centrality of organizations is higher compared to in-degree centrality, indicating that these organizations focus more on expanding cooperation and distributing information and resources rather than just receiving information. The findings of this research can assist managers and authorities in implementing rural development plans in other pilot areas towards sustainable land governance.
Hassan Mohseni; Seyedeh Faranak Hoseini Sarvestani
Abstract
The normative analysis of legislative behavior in the field of national lands is of great significance, it clarifies the approaches and strategies adopted by the legislator in enacting relevant rules and regulations. This research, employing an inductive method (from particular to general), attempts ...
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The normative analysis of legislative behavior in the field of national lands is of great significance, it clarifies the approaches and strategies adopted by the legislator in enacting relevant rules and regulations. This research, employing an inductive method (from particular to general), attempts to delineate the legislator’s overall perspective on national lands over the past century and, by identifying its hidden dimensions, to provide an evaluation thereof. Under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, “national lands,” classified among anfāl (public wealth), fall under the ownership of the state. Nevertheless, the formal exercise of public ownership over such lands officially began in 1962 with the enactment of the Nationalization of Forests and Rangelands Act. A review of legislative developments in this field demonstrates that the legislator’s primary aim in depriving individuals of private ownership was the protection of these resources and the prevention of their destruction through regulatory oversight of exploitation. Over the past sixty-two years, numerous laws concerning the exploitation, conservation, and management of national lands have been enacted; however, the process of degradation has continued to accelerate. To diagnose the roots of this failure, the study identifies the normative patterns of legislation governing national lands from their inception to the present, in order to determine which concepts or regulatory measures were overlooked that have led to the current extensive destruction of natural resources. The findings ultimately reveal that the challenge lies not in a shortage of laws but in the excessive multiplicity of ineffective and incoherent regulations. Based on these results, several recommendations are proposed to strengthen legislative policy: consolidating scattered laws, strengthening enforcement and oversight, and reforming institutional structures to shift from the current reactive and sectoral approach to a preventive and holistic approach for better safeguarding of national lands and their preservation for future generations
Shahrazad Khodamoradi; Ghodratalah Heydari; Mohammadreza Tatian; Mohammadreza Rahmanirad Kharefkoli
Abstract
Due to the diversity of environmental and climatic conditions in Iranian villages, there are many possibilities for the development and cultivation of medicinal plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of medicinal plants on the economic and social empowerment of rural women in the village ...
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Due to the diversity of environmental and climatic conditions in Iranian villages, there are many possibilities for the development and cultivation of medicinal plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of medicinal plants on the economic and social empowerment of rural women in the village of Kandelous, Mazandaran province. The data collection tool in this study was a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was determined by experts of medicinal plants, economics, and sociology. Questionnaire reliability was determined by Cronbach's alpha. Among the economic items "To what extent has private sector investment in purchasing, packaging, and exporting medicinal plants developed in recent years with the activities of women?" and "To what extent has the diversity of medicinal plant production in the region enabled the connection of women in rural communities to profitable income?" had the highest (0.226) and lowest (0.115) coefficient determination, respectively. Among the social items, the highest (0.271) and lowest coefficient of explanation (0.173) were found in the items "To what extent does the development of medicinal plant cultivation affect women's participatory capabilities?" and "To what extent do you think the area of the fields and the diversity of medicinal plants encourage women not to migrate to local communities?" respectively. The Spearman correlation test showed that medicinal plants had a significant and positive effect on the economic (r=0.336, sig=0.000) and social (r=0.28, sig=0.000) empowerment of rural women. It can be concluded that rural women in Kandelous, Mazandaran province, achieved a desirable economic empowerment (26.7%) by working in the field of medicinal plants. It can be concluded that medicinal plants have been effective in the economic and financial independence of women, and cosequently their social empowerment.
Zahed Dehghani; Iman Islami
Abstract
Weaknesses in managerial innovation and stakeholder interactions constitute one of the fundamental challenges undermining institutional resilience in natural resource governance within crisis-prone regions. This study aimed to examine the role of green management innovation and stakeholder interactions ...
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Weaknesses in managerial innovation and stakeholder interactions constitute one of the fundamental challenges undermining institutional resilience in natural resource governance within crisis-prone regions. This study aimed to examine the role of green management innovation and stakeholder interactions in enhancing institutional resilience in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. The research employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data collected from 315 valid questionnaires. In the proposed conceptual model, green management innovation was specified as the independent variable, stakeholder interactions as the mediating mechanism, and institutional resilience—conceptualized as a multidimensional macro-construct—as the dependent variable.The results indicated that green management innovation has a positive and statistically significant effect on institutional resilience, with a direct path coefficient of 0.414, explaining 41.4% of the variance in institutional resilience. Furthermore, green management innovation explained 44% of the variance in institutional resilience through stakeholder interactions, with an indirect effect estimated at 0.294. The mediating role of stakeholder interactions was confirmed through Sobel and bootstrap tests. Model adequacy was supported by a Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) value of 0.831 and a significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity (sig = 0.000), indicating sufficient sample adequacy and meaningful inter-variable correlations. In addition, composite reliability values exceeded the recommended threshold of 0.7, and convergent validity values were above 0.5, confirming the reliability and validity of the measurement model.Overall, the findings demonstrate that green management innovation enhances institutional capacity to respond to social and environmental crises by redesigning managerial processes, reducing resource inefficiencies, and integrating environmental criteria into organizational decision-making. Simultaneously, interactions among governmental bodies, local institutions, and civil society actors—operating as a mediating mechanism—strengthen institutional synergy, social legitimacy, and network governance. Accordingly, the integration of green management innovation and multi-stakeholder collaboration represents an effective strategy for promoting institutional resilience in crisis-prone regions.
Somayeh Mirzaei; Pedram Attarod; Mehdi Pourhashemi; Abbas Arghavani; Samira Beiranvand
Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate long-term trends in precipitation and consecutive dry days (CDD), and their association with the decline in Zagros forests. Daily meteorological data were obtained from Kermanshah and Khorramabad synoptic weather stations and analyzed for a 49-year period (1975-2023). ...
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The aim of the study was to evaluate long-term trends in precipitation and consecutive dry days (CDD), and their association with the decline in Zagros forests. Daily meteorological data were obtained from Kermanshah and Khorramabad synoptic weather stations and analyzed for a 49-year period (1975-2023). The Mann-Kendall (MK) test was used to assess the trends in precipitation and CDD, and the t-test was applied to compare the mean values. For this purpose, precipitation values less than 0.1 mm for rainy days and less than 1 mm for dry days were excluded, respectively. The mean annual precipitation (±SD) was 418±104 in Kermanshah and 485±130 in Khorramabad, and no significant trend was detected. Before the decline, mean annual precipitation was 438 ± 107 mm and 501 ± 121 mm in Kermanshah and Khorramabad, respectively. In the period after the decline, annual precipitation reduced to 390±95 mm in Kermanshah and 465±143 mm in Khorramabad, with no significant trend detected. The mean annual number of dry days exhibited a significant increasing trend in both Kermanshah (ZMK = 4.54) and Khorramabad (ZMK = 4.25). The mean maximum annual CDD was 142 days (maximum: 202) in Kermanshah and 145 days (maximum: 195) in Khorramabad. Across the before and after decline, no significant trend was identified for mean maximum annual CDD trend. Despite a slight increase in CDD in Kermanshah (141→144) and Khorramabad (144→146), the annual series showed no significant trend over before and after decline. The degradation of the Zagros Forests cannot be attributed solely to declining rainfall, as concurrent changes in other climatic factors have also contributed to accelerating this decline.
Zahra Abdollahpour; Aliakbar Nazari samani; Mahmoud Arabkhedri
Abstract
Understanding the processes of soil degradation, including erosion, is crucial for its conservation, given the lengthy process of soil formation. Among various forms of soil erosion, the damage caused by mass movement and gully erosion is particularly significant at the watershed scale. This phenomenon ...
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Understanding the processes of soil degradation, including erosion, is crucial for its conservation, given the lengthy process of soil formation. Among various forms of soil erosion, the damage caused by mass movement and gully erosion is particularly significant at the watershed scale. This phenomenon is considered an objective and key criterion for assessing the severity of land degradation. The current research aims to determine the extent of gully erosion across Iran and investigate its relationship with climatic elements (temperature and precipitation) and its impact on erosion and sedimentation at the watershed scale. Initially, a primary database on gully erosion was established through a review of articles, theses, reports, projects, and consultations with specialists, followed by the use of Google Earth and field visits for validation. By integrating the gully erosion layer with provincial boundaries,climate (De-Martonne), and second-order watersheds ,the extent of gully erosion in each of these areas was determined. Finally, the relationship between climatic elements, total erosion and sedimentation, and specific sediment yield with gully erosion at the second-order watershed scale was examined. The results indicate that the total area affected by gully erosion is 3,207,314 hectares.Golestan Province, the semi-humid climate, and the Gorganrud-Qarasu watershed have the highest relative density of gully erosion, with values of 15.3, 2.2, and 20.8, respectively.The relationship between specific sediment yield, total erosion and sedimentation, and the area affected by gully erosion is significant and positive, with an increase of one unit in gully erosion area leading to an increase of 209.81 tons per square kilometer per year in sediment yield.Therefore, to determine the vulnerability degree of second-order watersheds and prioritize regions requiring soil conservation measures, factors such as the status of agricultural land use, presence of dams, road conditions, and elements at risk should be considered, alongside the likelihood of gully erosion occurrence.
Zahra Taheri; Mehdi Ghorbani; Sharareh Pourebrahim; Kamran Rezaei Tavabe
Abstract
The growing population exerts increasing pressure on agricultural systems, water resources, and energy supplies. Effective management of these systems is essential to ensuring their sustainability. One of the key characteristics of a sustainable system is its capacity to adapt to changes. This study ...
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The growing population exerts increasing pressure on agricultural systems, water resources, and energy supplies. Effective management of these systems is essential to ensuring their sustainability. One of the key characteristics of a sustainable system is its capacity to adapt to changes. This study aims to assess the institutional adaptive capacity of the agricultural sector within the water-energy-food nexus. Institutions refer to rule-making systems, decision-making procedures, and programs that shape social movements, define the roles of individuals in these movements, and determine how they interact. In this research, the adaptive capacity wheel model was employed to evaluate institutional adaptive capacity. This model consists of six key criteria: 1) Variety, 2) Learning Capacity, 3) Room for Autonomous Change, 4) Leadership, 5) Resources, and 6) Fair Governance. To carry out the assessment, the agricultural system was first analyzed, and 27 relevant organizational stakeholders were identified. A capacity assessment questionnaire was distributed among these organizational stakeholders, and interviews were conducted to collect supplementary information. The results indicated that all aspects of institutional adaptive capacity were generally assessed negatively. This implies that there are significant gaps that need to be addressed in order to effectively cope with emerging challenges and adapt to changing conditions. The financial resources indicator, showing the highest negative value, reflects the structural weaknesses of organizations in responding to new circumstances. According to the findings, the adaptive capacity wheel score of the agricultural system within the water-energy-food nexus was rated at -0.29. This result highlights the presence of barriers that hinder the effective adaptation of the system to the challenges posed by the nexus.
Bahram Bakhtiyari; Arash Malekian; Ali Akbar Nazari Samani; Reza Shahbazi
Abstract
Land subsidence is a complex geomorphological phenomenon characterized by the vertical downward movement of the Earth's surface, with far-reaching implications for ecosystems, human infrastructure, and the environment. This study aims to analyze the relationship between groundwater level decline and ...
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Land subsidence is a complex geomorphological phenomenon characterized by the vertical downward movement of the Earth's surface, with far-reaching implications for ecosystems, human infrastructure, and the environment. This study aims to analyze the relationship between groundwater level decline and land subsidence in the Tehran-Shahryar plain, using measured data. The research methodology is based on advanced remote sensing techniques, including Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) using Sentinel-1 satellite images, and analysis of groundwater level data using statistical methods. A key innovation of this research is the simultaneous use of all available piezometers in the study area and the calibration of radar data with accurate ground leveling measurements. The findings of the study indicate that groundwater level decline is the main trigger of subsidence in the region. Cross-correlation analysis of the data reveals a time lag of 0 to 3 years, with an average of 1 year, between groundwater level decline and the occurrence of subsidence across the entire area. This time lag is due to complex geotechnical processes in the water-bearing sedimentary layers, especially in areas with complex geological structures. Spatial-temporal analyses show that the Tehran-Shahryar plain is facing a high potential for subsidence, with average subsidence rates exceeding 23 mm per year in some areas. This trend can pose serious threats to critical infrastructure, engineering structures, and the region's ecosystem. The implications of this study highlight the importance of integrated groundwater management, controlled extraction, and continuous monitoring of geodynamic changes. Moreover, the results can provide a suitable scientific basis for making major decisions in water resources management and mitigating environmental hazards.
Ali Babaei Ahmadabad; Meghdad Jourgholami
Abstract
Natural restoration of forest after harvesting operations is one of the most important goals in forest sustainability. Forestry machine traffic by considering weight, speed, and intensity have significant impact on forest regeneration and consequently, biodiversity indices such as dominance, and equitability ...
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Natural restoration of forest after harvesting operations is one of the most important goals in forest sustainability. Forestry machine traffic by considering weight, speed, and intensity have significant impact on forest regeneration and consequently, biodiversity indices such as dominance, and equitability in the plant communities of forest floor drastically influenced. The current study has been carried out in the watershed no. 45 in the Hyrcanian forest and aim to study the skidding operation effect on diversity and tree species regeneration over a long-term period. Hence, four compartments with time since harvest of 7, 10, 15, 20 year in the Kheyrud forest (compartments no. 316, 317, 220, and 221) were selected and sampled. Also, the effect of soil physical properties (porosity and peneteration resistance), pH, litter (C, N, N/N), and light under different traffic intensity (landing, low, medium, high), and its influence on biodiversity indexes using dominance, Shannon, Simpson, Margalef, and equitability were assessed. Results revealed that skidding operations had drastic effect on forest regeneration and change species composition as well as plants quantitate. Velvet maple as light-demanding species increased by 8 percent and shade-tolerant species such as beech diminished by 68 percentages, which can be considered as ecological alarm in the Hyrcanian forest. Results demonstrated that traffic intensity and time since harvest significantly influenced on forest regeneration, and also all on the environmental factors were influenced by these parameters. PCA analyses showed that soil properties including soil penetration resistance and biodiversity indexes significantly influenced by skidding operations. There was a positive correlation between litter properties, light and porosity.
Maryam Gholami; Ataollah Ebrahimi; Esmaeil Asadi Boroujeni; Elham Ghahsareh Ardestani; Hamzeh Ali Shirmardi
Abstract
Detecting vegetation changes in arid and semi-arid regions, particularly for identifying dried patches, is a major challenge in remote sensing. This study was conducted to identify and analyze areas affected by dryness in the rangelands of Chaharmahal-va-Bakhtiari Province, using remote sensing data ...
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Detecting vegetation changes in arid and semi-arid regions, particularly for identifying dried patches, is a major challenge in remote sensing. This study was conducted to identify and analyze areas affected by dryness in the rangelands of Chaharmahal-va-Bakhtiari Province, using remote sensing data and analyzing vegetation changes in the years 2013 and 2023. After obtaining the image differencing for the years 2013 and 2023 for various indices such as NDVI, VHI, TCT, and SR, thresholding of the difference values for each index was performed to identify dried patches. To validate the results, after identifying the dried patches, field visits and sampling were carried out to assess the correspondence between the identified areas and the actual conditions. The results showed that the SR index had the best performance in identifying dried patches. The findings indicated that the SR index, with an overall accuracy of 75% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.75, had the best performance in identifying dried patches, demonstrating a strong agreement with the field data. Following SR, the VHI index—with 60% accuracy and a Kappa value of 0.40—was identified as the second most suitable index for detecting dried areas. The TCT index was also able to detect vegetation changes with an overall accuracy of 52% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.32. Among the indices, NDVI, with 40% accuracy and a Kappa coefficient of 0.28, showed lower-than-expected performance and was less effective in identifying vegetation changes in the dried areas. This study, demonstrates that the SR index, as an effective tool for detecting dried patches in rangeland areas, can significantly contribute to the early-warning, monitoring and optimal management of natural resources, i.e., rangelands.
