Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran

2 Graduate, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Water Engineering, Zanjan University

4 PhD student of Combat Desertification, Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Gorgan

Abstract

Natural landscape alternation is a problem that has been under debate for a long time. Land
utilization techniques like agriculture, forest and rangelands, residential and urban are among
influential criteria affecting erosion severity and sediment yield in a given region. In this respect,
land management is a promising option to mitigate it. Thus, acquaintance with quantitative soil
erosion owing to land-use changes is of great importance for estimating disadvantages and
latent and intangible symptoms of erosion. Strategic planning for sustainable development
could be benefited from such knowledge. The current research considered a statistical period
from 1970 to 2004. This period was sub-divided into two separate periods from 1970 to 1987
and from 1987 to 2004. During these periods, statistics relating to sedimentation, climatology
(precipitation) and hydrology were analyzed. Results revealed that the sediment reduction in
these two periods under similar rainfall would be as a result of an increase in abandoned areas.

Keywords