نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 گروه محیط زیست، دانشگاه تهران، دانشکده منابع طبیعی، کرج، ایران
2 گروه محیط زیست، دانشگاه لرستان، دانشکده منابع طبیعی، خرم آباد، ایران
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Introduction: The increase in road networks passing through wildlife habitats has significantly threatened populations in ecologically sensitive areas, especially in national parks. The development of road networks and their effects on the increasing loss of animal species are among the major challenges that have severely threatened biodiversity in these protected areas. Accordingly, identifying the spatial structure pattern of roads and their effects on wildlife habitats is of great importance. Therefore, in the present study, with the aim of investigating the impact of roads on Iran's national parks, the general characteristics of roads in national parks, the spatial structure pattern of roads, and the effective indicators of roads on wildlife-vehicle collisions were investigated.
Materials and Methods: To assess the impact of roads on national parks, a list of 4 main criteria, 16 sub-criteria, and 17 indices was prepared based on previous studies and expert opinions. A semi-closed Delphi method was used for scoring and prioritizing the indices, with data collected from 15 experts in the field, including environmental protection consultants and managers, environmental activists, and university faculty members. Spatial data, including protected area maps and road layers, were obtained from the Department of the Environment and the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization and were analyzed in GIS. National parks were evaluated based on criteria such as road length and type, climate, slope, road density, and spatial structure pattern of roads. Slope classification was divided into six categories, and road spatial patterns were classified into three classes: linear, branching, and network types.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that the criterion "road characteristics," the sub-criterion "physical structure of roads," and the index "road network pattern" had the highest importance. Out of the 32 national parks in Iran, only 11 parks have four different types of roads (freeways, highways, main roads, and secondary roads). According to the findings, roads in all 11 national parks have a linear structure, either passing through the park’s edge or center. Roads in Arasbaran, Khojir, Kantal, and Kiasar national parks are linear along the edge, while roads in Urumia and Dez national parks pass through the center. In Bamu, Kolah-Qazi, Golestan, and Nayband national parks, both edge and center road patterns exist. The results also showed that Golestan National Park has the longest road length, while Arasbaran has the shortest. The average road density was 0.89 meters per hectare, with Kantal Park showing the highest density and Urumia Park the lowest. Screening of the national parks based on the criteria and road spatial structure patterns indicated that Dez, Urumia, Golestan, Bamu, Kolah-Qazi, and Nayband national parks are the most threatened by road development.
Conclusion: According to the results, the spatial structure pattern of roads and the factors influencing them can play a significant role in national parks and wildlife habitats in these areas. Therefore, reducing road density, rerouting some roads to the edges of parks, utilizing wildlife bridges and underpasses, and implementing restrictive policies regarding infrastructure development can help to improve the condition of national parks and wildlife safety.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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