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 ...
Read More
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.
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 ...
Read More
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 4,464,978 hectares.Golestan Province, the semi-humid climate, and the Gorganrud-Qarasu watershed have the highest relative density of gully erosion, with values of 17.3, 1.45, and 22.27, 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.
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 ...
Read More
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 the women, and cosequently their social empowerment.
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). ...
Read More
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. We detected statistically significant increasing trends in the mean annual CDD at both stations (ZMK=4.15 in Kermanshah and 3.04 in Khorramabad). Annual precipitation changes are not the main driver of oak decline in the Zagros. Longer and more constant dry periods, reflected in the CDD index, along with rising temperatures, have increased water stress and reduced forest resilience.
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 ...
Read More
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.
Hassan Mohseni; Seyedeh Faranak Hoseini Sarvestani
Abstract
The normative analysis of legislative behavior in the field of national lands is of great significance, as it clarifies the approaches and strategies adopted by the legislator in enacting relevant laws and regulations. This research, employing an inductive approach (from the particular to the general), ...
Read More
The normative analysis of legislative behavior in the field of national lands is of great significance, as it clarifies the approaches and strategies adopted by the legislator in enacting relevant laws and regulations. This research, employing an inductive approach (from the particular to the general), seeks to delineate the legislator’s overall perspective on national lands over the past century and, by identifying its underlying dimensions, to provide an evaluation of this perspective. Under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, national lands, classified as anfāl (public wealth), are owned by the state. Nevertheless, the formal exercise of state ownership over such lands was established in 1962 with the enactment of the Nationalization of Forests and Rangelands Act. A review of legislative developments in this field indicates that the legislator’s primary objective in abolishing private ownership was to protect these resources and prevent their degradation through the regulation of their exploitation. Over the past sixty-two years, numerous laws concerning the exploitation, conservation, and management of national lands have been enacted; however, the degradation of these resources has continued to accelerate. To identify the underlying causes of this failure, the study examines the normative patterns of legislation governing national lands since the enactment of the first relevant law, in order to determine which concepts or regulatory measures were overlooked, thereby contributing to the current widespread destruction of natural resources. The findings reveal that the problem lies not in a lack of laws but in the excessive proliferation of ineffective and incoherent regulations. Based on these findings, the study proposes several recommendations to strengthen legislative policy, including consolidating fragmented legislation, strengthening enforcement and oversight, and reforming institutional structures to shift from the current reactive and sectoral approach toward a preventive and holistic framework that better safeguards national lands for future generations.
Naser Mashhadi; Sirous Shamshiri
Abstract
Landform-based physiographic units directly and indirectly influence the diversity and spatial distribution of land use and land cover. The spatial patterns of landforms and land use/cover result from both natural and human factors, whose interactions are not yet fully understood. This study presents ...
Read More
Landform-based physiographic units directly and indirectly influence the diversity and spatial distribution of land use and land cover. The spatial patterns of landforms and land use/cover result from both natural and human factors, whose interactions are not yet fully understood. This study presents a geomorphological analysis of land-use units in a semi-arid to semi-humid region to support land-use planning. Landform units were delineated based on lithological characteristics and dominant geomorphic processes. The dominant spatial patterns of land use were analyzed using satellite imagery and field observations. Land-use classification and mapping were conducted in two stages based on land-use function and activity. The geomorphological analysis revealed that cropland is primarily distributed across regular slopes and landforms affected by surface erosion. Cropland is also largely confined to slopes ranging from 0 to 10%, indicating topographic constraints on its expansion. Rangelands, pastures, and water-resource land uses are distributed across a wide range of landforms, lithological units, and slope classes. Urban land uses are mainly concentrated in low-lying areas with slopes of less than 5%. The results demonstrate that landform characteristics and slope strongly influence land-use diversity and spatial patterns. Incorporating geomorphic conditions into land-use planning can therefore serve as a key component of sustainable decision-making.
