Original Article
Sara Abdollahi; HamidReza Azimzadeh; MohammadReza Ekhtesasi; Asghar Mosleh-Arani
Abstract
Introduction: Dust is one of the phenomena of atmospheric and natural disasters that poses adverse environmental effects and impacts. Due to the wide distribution of dust, this phenomenon can also change the soil and its biology trends. Typically, dust particles have a diameter of less than 100 microns, ...
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Introduction: Dust is one of the phenomena of atmospheric and natural disasters that poses adverse environmental effects and impacts. Due to the wide distribution of dust, this phenomenon can also change the soil and its biology trends. Typically, dust particles have a diameter of less than 100 microns, which can be transmitted horizontally or vertically to the ground after miles. The aim of this study was to determine the amount of dust falling and heavy metals lead and cadmium concentrations in dust samples to evaluate these elements is the urban pollution.Material and methods: In this study, samples were collected using mild sediment trap for six months.A total of 180 samples were collected. Samples were weighed accurately using a scale of 0.001 g. The analysis of samples was performed using ISO11466. The samples were extracted by the Institute of Water and Soil Research, and the concentration of heavy metals was measured by the atomic absorption spectrometry of the Analyti jena-951 model.Results and discussion: The results showed that in the winter of March and in the spring of June, the highest rate of dust was observed. The mean lead concentration in winter was 97.32 ± 5.40 mg.kg and 90.16 ± 5.93 mg.kg in spring. Also, the average cadmium concentration in winter was 37.19 ± 3.60 mg.kg and 29.62 ± 2.42 mg.kg in the spring. According to the pollution index (PI), the level of contamination of lead is high in the floor, however, according to this index, cadmium contamination in both seasons is more than the level of contamination of lead and is higher than the limit, which is the risk index The ecology of cadmium, with an average of 1673.98 and 1333.03, also confirms this and is in the hazardous area of contamination. Also, the ecological risk of lead metal in winter was 18.14 ± 1.01 and in the spring with a mean of 16.91 ± 1.11 in the low pollution class. According to the values obtained for the pollution load index (PLI), this contamination rate is Cdwinte r˃Cdspring˃Pbwinter˃Pbsprin, and both of these elements are highly polluted in the classroom.Conclusion: The results of statistical calculations and contamination levels indicate that the amount of dust pollution to lead and cadmium is higher than most of the calculated indices in the classes with high to high contamination.Therefore, these elements have been brought into the environment as a result of human activities and have less natural origin.
Original Article
Hamid Ershadifar; Kamalodin Kor; Emad Koochaknejad; ََََAmir Ghazilou; Gholamrasoul Baskaleh
Abstract
Introduction: Chabahar Bay is a semi-enclosed marine environment in the southeastern coast of Iran, withtwo important ports i.e., Konarak and Chabahar in its margins. The connection of this Bay to the Indian Oceanthrough the Gulf of Oman causes this region to be affected by the monsoon phenomenon, especially ...
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Introduction: Chabahar Bay is a semi-enclosed marine environment in the southeastern coast of Iran, withtwo important ports i.e., Konarak and Chabahar in its margins. The connection of this Bay to the Indian Oceanthrough the Gulf of Oman causes this region to be affected by the monsoon phenomenon, especially thesouthwest monsoon, from late spring to late summer. Due to the expansion of various industries and increasingmarginal population, aquatic environments are expected to be severely affected by human activities. Sensitiveecosystems such as coral reef habitats and mangrove forests are vulnerable to these changes. In this research,the effects of the monsoon phenomenon on physicochemical parameters, nutrient concentration, andchlorophyll-a (Chl-a) were studied. The possibility of nutrient loading through the ports of Konarak and Tisswas examined by comparing the results from these ports with the adjacent stations in the Bay.Material and methods: Sampling from two depths (0.5 m beneath the surface and 1 m above the bottom) at4 stations was performed using 5l Niskin bottle in three replicates during five seasons. Physicochemicalparameters were measured by relevant portable probes at the sampling site. In the laboratory, the reagents wereprepared for colorimetric detection according to the standard instructions, and the amount of nutrients weremeasured by spectrophotometer in a quartz cell with a path length of 2 cm. Statistical analyses were performedusing PRIMER 6 and STATISTICA 10 software.Results and discussion: According to the acquired results, the concentration of phosphate, nitrite, and nitrate,as well as Chl-a, were higher in the post-monsoon period and were in the order of post-monosoon > pre- monsoon> monsooon. In the case of silicate, its trend was different and showed a decreasing trend in the order of pre-monsoon> monsoon≈post-monsoon. Comparison of inter-annual results showed that the phosphate, nitrate, and nitrite values recorded in 2017 were higher than the corresponding values in 2013-2014. Chl-a showed a positive correlation with the nutrient concentration, which indicated that the primary production was controled by the nutrient availablity. The pH and dissolved oxygen values had a positive correlation and both were generally low in the pre-monsoon than the post-monsoon in both sampling periods of 2013-2014 and 2017.Conclusion: Comparison of the results between 2013-2014 and 2017 showed that there were differences in nutrient concentrations and physicochemical parameters due to variations in the intensity and duration of the monsoon in different years. High concentrations of nitrate, phosphate, and nitrite in the post-monsoon season occurred due to the monsoon-induced upwelling and the emergence of nutrient-rich waters. Lower silicates in the post-monsoon than the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons seems to be the result of the silicate depletion by diatoms that show outbreaks during this period, as the Chl-a in the post-monsoon was greater than the preceding seasons. Finally, the amount of nutrients was significantly higher in two marginal ports compared to adjacent stations in the Bay. However, they are still not at the stage to intensely elevate the nutrients levels throughout the Bay.
Original Article
Amin Mahmodian; Ghasem Ali Dianati; jalil Alavi
Abstract
Introduction: Parapholis incurva is a plant in halophytic rangelands of the northern Golestan Province and is very important in terms of forage production. This plant species grows in arid climates and saline soils. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the characteristics ...
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Introduction: Parapholis incurva is a plant in halophytic rangelands of the northern Golestan Province and is very important in terms of forage production. This plant species grows in arid climates and saline soils. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of this species with environmental factors such as soil physicochemical properties and distance from the watering trough in rangelands of Incheh Borun in Golestan Province.Material and methods: Towards this attempt, 200 quadrates with an area of 4 m2 were taken along distances from a watering trough. The sampling method was randomized-systematic. In the sampling area, the presence of P. incurva species was recorded. In the center of each plot, the soil was sampled from depths of 0 to 20 centimeters. Soil samples were transferred to the laboratory and experiments were carried out to measure pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil texture (silt, clay, and sand), organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. In this research pH, EC, soil texture, organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus were measured using pH meter, conductivity meter, hydrometric method, and Olson method, respectively. Multiple regression analysis (using SPSS software V18) was used to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of P. incurva and distances from a watering trough and soil physicochemical properties.
Results and discussion: R2 values (93%) showed that distances from a watering trough had the most contribution to the variations in density, percentage cover, and frequency changes. The strength of the linear regression model by soil parameters for predicting the density, percentage cover, and frequency of P. incurva was 77, 70 and 83 percent, respectively. Results showed soil properties such as total nitrogen, sand content, and organic matter content had a positive effect on the presence of P. incurva in the study area. The results showed that pH, Buckley density, silt content, and EC had a negative effect on the presence and distribution of P. incurva.Conclusion: On a local scale, distance from a watering trough was more influential on the changes in density, percentage cover, and frequency of P. incurva than soil parameters.
Original Article
Hossein Rahmani; Faeghe Radaei; Sara Haghparast; Seyedeh Mahdis Rekabi
Abstract
Introduction: Biological evaluation of water resources using macroinvertebrates is one of the most appropriate and most cost-effective methods in order to study human impacts on water ecosystems. Nutrition strategies are a typical feature that reflects the flexibility of species and can be part of a ...
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Introduction: Biological evaluation of water resources using macroinvertebrates is one of the most appropriate and most cost-effective methods in order to study human impacts on water ecosystems. Nutrition strategies are a typical feature that reflects the flexibility of species and can be part of a single action in the classification structure of societies. Feeding groups contribute to the metabolism of freshwater ecosystems, including nutrient cycles, reduced particle size (e.g shredder), facilitated the functioning of microparticles, Fungi and yeasts and carrying organic matter in the downstream. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of feeding groups of bentic macroinvertebrates as the basis of biological evaluation in the Chalous River as one of the protected rivers in Iran with unique ecological conditions. Material and methods: Macroinvertebrates were taken using surber sampler (with an approximate area of 0.1 m2 and mesh size of 360 µm) with 3 replicates in 9 stations each season, from June 2015 to March 2016. To compare the abundance of feeding groups in different stations and seasons, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used and a Mann-Whitney test was used to Paired comparison. Simperity tests (SIMPER) were used to determine the feeding groups that had the highest share (participation rate) in the similarity of each station and also the major disparity between the stations. Results and discussion: During the whole period of sampling, 26220 individuals of macroinvertebrates were separated, identified and counted, which were belonged to 3 phyla, 4 classes, 12 orders, 34 Families and 35 Genera. In this study, the highest total abundance of invertebrates in stations 6 and 8 was 15.04% and 16.97% of the different feeding groups, which can be due to the entry of organic matter By wastewater farms before these stations. Suspended solids along with non-eaten foods in salmon farms seem to play an important role in increasing the abundance of bentic macroinvertebrate in the bottom of fish farms. Functional feeding groups of macroinvertebrates in this study included five groups: Collector Gatherer, Collector Filter, Predator, Scraper and Shredder. Results showed that, the abundance of Collector Gatherer in station 8 is higher than other stations. The frequencies of Scraper and Shredder groups showed significant differences with other groups (p < 0.05). Also, Collector Filter group in station 6 is more abundant than other stations (p < 0.05). The results of the SIMPER analysis indicated a high degree of uniformity and reduction of variations at each station group seasonally. Conclusion: In general, the results of this study showed that the stations that were located after the fish farms in many seasons, alternately collector filter and collector gatherer feeding groups most frequent. However, based on the results of the SIMPER test, due to the increased presence of other feeding groups in stations after fish farms, the contribution of the filterer and gatherer groups to the combination of macroinvertebrates in comparison with other stations decreased.
Original Article
Parvaneh Shateri; Sadegh Salehi; Mansoor Sharifi; Reza Ali Mohseni
Abstract
Introduction: Adapting to climate change and changing energy-related behaviors to reduce global warming isa necessity in today's societies that would not be possible without the full participation of people and groups,including environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The numerous environmental ...
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Introduction: Adapting to climate change and changing energy-related behaviors to reduce global warming isa necessity in today's societies that would not be possible without the full participation of people and groups,including environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The numerous environmental problems andthe difficulty of urban management in major cities such as Tehran make the need for these organizations moreexpansive, as the development of environmental NGOs will lead to increased participation and decisionmakingin the field of environment. In this regard, understanding the reasons and motivations of individualsfor participation in NGOs as the main objective of the present study can lead to the development of suchorganizations to achieve sustainable development. Previous research in this area has been very few and oftenwith a quantitative approach.Material and methods: The approach of this study was interpretation and was done using the grounded theory.Participants were selected based on a purposive sampling of snowball type from 20 members of environmentalNGOs in Tehran in the year 2018_19. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed usingopen, axial, and selective coding steps. The concepts were transformed into subcategories and categories and the paradigm model was extracted in four parts: causal conditions, confounding conditions, strategies, and consequences that revolve around the central phenomenon.Results and discussion: The data analysis showed that causal conditions affecting members' motivation to participate in environmental NGOs were based on personal reasons (e.g., sensory and naturalistic experiences, field of study, and transcendental attitudes), interest in environmental activities, and acquisition of dignity. Also, the influential intervening conditions include structural constraints (environmental fragility, lack of context for civic activities, etc.), intrinsic environmental value, and neighborhood (natural habitat and occupational proximity). In addition, the results of the study showed that the strategies adopted by the executants in the short and long term were symbolic activities, criticism, member empowerment, expert recruitment, scientific approach to programs, consulting with planners, networking relationships, interaction, and collective wisdom. Finally, the results of the present study showed that the consequences of adopting these strategies were horizontal and vertical impact, scientific exchange, executive management, and qualitative and quantitative development.Conclusion: The main motivation of the members to participate in environmental NGOs is environmental concerns. To achieve this, members are interested in establishing or joining an NGO to develop inter-group and intra-group relationships so that they can provide the necessary framework for changing behaviors and reducing or solving environmental problems. In addition, studying the reasons and motivations of members to participate in environmental NGOs can provide mechanisms for attracting others to develop and expand these organizations.
Original Article
Seyedeh Narjes Tabatabaei; Asghar Abdoli; Iraj Hashemzade Segherloo; Faraham Ahmadzadeh; Louis Bernatchez
Abstract
Introduction: Lar National Park is the best habitat of Salmo caspius in Iran. In other habitats located in Iran, the species has been threatened by different factors including habitat destruction, pollution, sand removal from the river bed, dam construction, introduction of exotic species, over-fishing, ...
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Introduction: Lar National Park is the best habitat of Salmo caspius in Iran. In other habitats located in Iran, the species has been threatened by different factors including habitat destruction, pollution, sand removal from the river bed, dam construction, introduction of exotic species, over-fishing, and other human mediated changes. Dalicahy River, as one of the major habitats of S. caspius, is ecologically different from other rivers in the Lar National Park. In this study, we assessed genetic differences (applying next-generation sequencing) of S. caspius in Dalichay River and Lar Lake; considering an impassable barrier in the mouth of Dalichay River. Material and methods: in this study fin clips from fish electrofished in the river and fin clips collected via angling in the lake were used. DNA extraction was performed using salt extraction method with an additional treatment with RNAse to degrade RNA molecules. To compare fish from Dalichay River and the Lar Lake, next generation sequencing was used. Analyses including principal components analysis (PCA) and Admixture, plus calculation of genetic differentiation (Fst) were used to compare the studied populations. Results and discussion: According to the results of principal components analysis (PCA) fish from the Dalichay River and the Lake were separated clearly along the first PC (25.11% of variation). But they were overlapped along other PCs. The results of Admixture analysis showed that Dalichay and Lake fish were always represented with different admixture clusters with little contribution from one another. Additionally, the genetic differentiation between the Dalichay and the Lake was significant. The reason for this differentiation can be the existence of a physical barrier in the moth of Dalichay that blocks the path for migration from Dalichay to the Lake and vice versa. On the other hand, it is possible that the fish in Dalichay are resident and do not show any preference for migration to the Lake. The residency behavior forms in result of low density of fish and satisfaction of biological and habitat related needs of the fish and hence no need for migration. Conclusion: overall, the results of this study showed that the fish in Dalichay River and in the Lake differ in their genetic composition and were significantly differentiated from one another. In any case, high differentiation of the fish in the Dalichay River and their isolation in addition to inability of fish from the Lake and other rivers in the Lar National Park to Dalichay, necessitates revision and taking better management approaches.
Original Article
Nikta Letafat; Mohammad Hassan Tarazkar
Abstract
Introduction: Environmental degradation such as greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere, deforestation and collapsing fisheries indicate that human demand is exceeding the capacity of the biosphere. Therefore, in the most environmental studies, the greenhouse gases emission used an indicator ...
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Introduction: Environmental degradation such as greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere, deforestation and collapsing fisheries indicate that human demand is exceeding the capacity of the biosphere. Therefore, in the most environmental studies, the greenhouse gases emission used an indicator of environmental impacts. But, a major weakness of these studies is that greenhouse gases emission such as carbon dioxide (CO2) is used as the index of environmental damage. In contrast, the ecological footprint represents a comprehensive indicator of anthropogenic pressure on the environment. Ecological Footprint (EF) measures the ecological assets that a population requires to produce the natural resources it consumes and to absorb its waste, especially carbon emissions. Ecological footprint is expressed in mutually exclusive units of area necessary to annually provide ecosystem services. Recent studies showed that the natural ecosystem of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including land, air and water, has been seriously affected by the various variables. Therefore, in this study a robust set of control variables is identified for ecological footprint as a comprehensive index of environmental degradation. Material and methods: To achieve this goal the Extreme Bounds Analysis (EBA) method was used for identifying a robust set of control variables. The EBA is a statistical tool, to test whether the variables suggested in previous studies are indeed robustly related to ecological footprint, independent of other explanatory variables included in the regression. Also, the KOF used as the index of Globalization. In addition, specific type of KOF include political, social and overall globalization used in the empirical analysis. The analysis covers 11 countries of MENA region from 1995 to 2014. Results and discussion: The results of Sala-i-Martin EBA showed that energy consumption, GDP per capita, urban population and economic, social and political globalization are robust. Also, the GDP per capita, energy consumption, urban population, have a positive effect on ecological footprint. The average effect of energy consumption on ecological footprint is 0.001 and statistically significant. Therefore, an increase of energy consumption by 10 unit relates to rising ecological pressures by almost 0.01 unit. Also, an increase in the urban population increases the ecological footprint per capita consistently and is statistically significant at 1 percent level. A 0.2 global hectare increase in the ecological footprint is driven by an increase in the urban population by 10 unit. The results showed that, a 10 percent increase in economic and social globalization will enhance ecological footprint by 0.29 and 0.49 unit, respectively. According to the EBA results, a 10 unit increase in political globalization will reduce ecological footprint by 0.16 unit. The findings show that globalization may have different effects on ecological footprint. Conclusions: The findings suggest that economic and social globalization correlates positively with the ecological footprint. In contrast, political globalization have a negative relationship with ecological footprint. According to the empirical results, the negative correlation between political globalization and ecological footprint support the “global environmental governance” hypothesis. On the other hand, the positive relationship between social globalization and ecological footprint did not support the ‘global environmental awareness’ hypothesis in MENA region.
Original Article
Dorna Jahangirpour; Hassan Azarm; Aَbbas Mirzaei
Abstract
Introduction: In recent years, rangeland degradation has reduced a wide range of ecosystem services for billions of people whose livelihoods depend on natural resources. Proper rangeland management can multiply the rangeland's capacity to benefit from ecosystem services. The dominant model of rangeland ...
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Introduction: In recent years, rangeland degradation has reduced a wide range of ecosystem services for billions of people whose livelihoods depend on natural resources. Proper rangeland management can multiply the rangeland's capacity to benefit from ecosystem services. The dominant model of rangeland management is the preparation and implementation of pastoral plans. These plans, if not be properly selected and not be based on rangeland ecosystem services improving, in addition to exacerbate the downward trend of rangelands, also will result in the loss of capital. Therefore, by recognizing the effects of different management methods on ecosystem services, it is possible to change or modify rangeland management patterns. In the present study, we ranked rangeland management plans methods in Fars province using multi-criteria analysis in the context of rangeland ecosystem services. Material and methods: One of the major causes that hinder consideration of the value of ecosystem services in computation and evaluation are the heterogeneity of the different types of value measurement units, the impossibility of quantifying all values and the problems associated with the integration of quantitative and qualitative data. Therefore, given the capabilities of multi-criteria analysis methods in analyzing heterogeneous data, these methods are suitable tools for overcoming this problem and for making more reasoned and informed decisions. In the present study, fuzzy hierarchical analysis (AHP) was used to determine the weight of criteria and indices. Then, using the results of the first step as input of the PROMETHEE software, the rangeland remediation options were ranked using the PROMETHEE II analysis. Results and discussion: According to the literature on the subject and discussion with rangeland and environmental experts, 12 indicators were defined for four categories of ecosystem services. After determining the criteria, weight of criteria and indices were calculated using hierarchical analysis method. Paired comparisons of ecosystem services criteria indicated that regulatory and support services with a weight of 0.734 are more important than production and cultural services. The results of paired comparisons of ecosystem cultural service indices showed that biodiversity criterion was much more important than landscape, recreation and ecotourism criteria. Paired comparisons of sub-criteria of ecosystem services indexes showed that grazing capacity and profitability of livestock products with the relative weight of 0.555 and 0.224 were the highest importance among ecosystem services indices, respectively. In addition, rangeland water resource capability index with significant weight of 0.475 is in the first place of impact on ecosystem regulation and support indexes and soil erosion prevention index with the weight of 0.352 is ranked second. The final weight of each index was obtained by multiplying the relative weight of the criteria by the relative weight of the indices. Among the ecosystem services indexes, water resources weight was 0.35 which was the highest weight. After water resources, the role of the ecosystem in preventing soil erosion is the most important indicator evaluated. The third most weighted indicator is biodiversity. After data entry into PROMETHEE software, the results showed that among the various pasture management options, enclosure was ranked first. Therefore, the enclosure plan provides the most ecosystem services. 11 indicators had a positive effect on enclosure priority and the only indicator that had a negative effect on enclosure priority was access to water resources. To validate the results, sensitivity analysis was performed in three different scenarios. Results of sensitivity analysis showed that due to water shortage crisis and high importance of this index in rangeland ecosystem services, priority of rangeland options is not sensitive to changes in other indices. Conclusion: According to the results, the exclosure plan provides the highest ecosystem services in rangeland management and the least ecosystem services in medicinal plants. After exclosure, priority is with water projects includes springs refurbishment and pond construction. In order to better management of rangelands in Fars province and the necessity of ecosystem services consideration in rangeland plans, we can obtain valid evaluations by applying multi criteria methods.
Original Article
Fateme Aghamir; Saeid Soufizadeh; Ahmad Soheili
Abstract
Introduction: Climate change is one of the most important human challenges in food security in the agricultural sector, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. The most important climatic variables affecting crop yield, rainfall and temperature, carbon dioxide, especially in rainfed areas are of great ...
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Introduction: Climate change is one of the most important human challenges in food security in the agricultural sector, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. The most important climatic variables affecting crop yield, rainfall and temperature, carbon dioxide, especially in rainfed areas are of great importance. The results of researchers in Iran indicate the effect of obvious and undeniable climate change on crop yields in Iran. By using modeling knowledge in selecting the appropriate plant and cultivar for a region, determining the optimal plant characteristics, determining the best crop management, predicting the effect of diversity and climate change on crop growth and yield, and estimating potential yield in a low cost, fast and accurate way can be Adverse climate change on agriculture with negative mitigation options. Material and methods: In the present study, the effect of temperature increase, increase and decrease of 20% in precipitation and increase of carbon dioxide concentration on phenology and yield of dryland wheat in four cities of Dehgolan, Divandere, Saqez and Sanandaj in Kurdistan province with long-term climatic data of Kurdistan province in it was studied from 1370 to 1393. In this study, in order to simulate the daily growth and development of wheat in the conditions of climate change and to evaluate the potential effects of the simulation under the APSIM wheat model, 24 climate change scenarios and 1 baseline scenario, based on the product of temperature increase multiplied by +1, +2 , +3 and +4 ° C, change in precipitation of 2020% and three concentrations of carbon dioxide were considered 462.5, 527.5 and 725 ppm, respectively. Model inputs include climate (temperature, rainfall and radiation), soil (soil water and soil nitrogen), genetic coefficients and crop management information and its outputs including flowering date, physiological maturity date, maximum leaf area index date, leaf area index, Grain yield and biological yield were analyzed in future and past climatic conditions. Results and discussion: In scenarios with increasing rainfall compared to the base period, flowering uniformity, physiological maturity will increase in all cities but will decrease in Dehgolan. The uniformity of the maximum range of the leaf area index will increase in all cities and in Dehgolan the percentage of increase in uniformity is the lowest. Also, the uniformity of the leaf area index of Dehgolan and Sanandaj will increase, and Saqez and Divan Darreh will decrease. With decreasing rainfall, flowering uniformity, physiological maturity, the maximum range of leaf area index decreases in all cities and the percentage of uniformity reduction in Dehgolan is the lowest. With increasing rainfall, biological and grain yield fluctuations were highest in Dehgolan and lowest in Sanandaj, and with decreasing rainfall, all cities had biological fluctuations, Sanandaj had the least fluctuations and Divan Darreh had the most fluctuations. Conclusion: The effect of climate change factors including temperature, precipitation and carbon dioxide on different regions of Kurdistan province is different; In rainfed cultivation, in the basic period, wheat phenology and yield are affected by the initial water moisture in the soil, while by changing the climate, wheat phenology can be justified by increasing the temperature with the optimal crop temperature and by increasing rainfall with the wheat leaf area index.
Original Article
Azadeh Vaziri Nahad; Seyed Ali Jozi; Rokhshad Hejazi; Mohammad Reza Shokri; Saeid Malmasi
Abstract
Introduction: One of the ways to select conservation areas is to use decision support tools such as Marxan. The main purpose of this study is to prioritize and select suitable conservation areas in the coastal area of Kal-Mehran Sub-basin in Hormozgan Province under the different scenarios by using Marxan ...
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Introduction: One of the ways to select conservation areas is to use decision support tools such as Marxan. The main purpose of this study is to prioritize and select suitable conservation areas in the coastal area of Kal-Mehran Sub-basin in Hormozgan Province under the different scenarios by using Marxan software and comparing the conservation areas selected by Marxan with those introduced by the Department of Environment (DoE). Material and methods: In this study, the dispersion of 36 types of animal and plant species was used as conservation criteria to prioritize the conservation patches in the coastal areas using the decision support tool. Geographic Information System (ArcGIS software, v. 10.3) was used to generate the criterion layers and to provide the planning unit layer. Then, the dispersion map of each of these criteria was prepared as Boolean layers (zero and one) for entering into the Marxan decision support software, which is the most commonly used conservation planning software. After preparing the 5 input files of Marxan software (planning unit file, conservation feature file, planning unit versus conservation feature file, boundary length file, and input parameters file), the software was run in the form of three scenarios designed with the goal of protecting 30, 50, and 100% of each criterion and the most suitable patches were introduced for conservation. These patches were then compared with the areas protected by the DoE. Finally, the most suitable scenario was selected by comparing the three scenarios. Results and discussion: The results showed that the first scenario with the goal of protecting 30% of each criterion was successful in fulfilling the conservation goal of all 34 criteria and in total, 14.73% of the existing areas protected by DoE overlapped with those conservation areas selected by the first scenario. In the second scenario, the study area was prioritized with the aim of protecting 50% of each criterion. This scenario was successful in fulfilling the conservation goal of 35 criteria and in total, 26.27% of the selected areas overlapped with the existing protected areas of the DoE. In the third scenario, the study area was prioritized with the aim of protecting 100% of each criterion. This scenario was successful in fulfilling the conservation goal of 30 criteria, and 96.75% of the selected areas overlapped with the existing protected areas of the DoE. Finally, by comparing the results of the mentioned scenarios, it was found that in all three scenarios, the areas under the DoE's protection in the study area did not perform well in terms of achieving the different goals. The second scenario yields more acceptable results than the other scenarios and is only incapable of achieving the conservation goal of just one criterion. Conclusion: In this study, the scenario 2 (with the aim of protecting 50% of each protection criterion) can be considered as the most effective scenario. It is suggested that this scenario be used as a model to modify the boundaries of the DoE’s protected areas in the coastal area of Kal-Mehran Sub-basin in Hormozgan Province, in which case 87.373% (801349 ha) should be added to the current protected areas to remove the existing protective gaps.
Original Article
Farhad Hosseini Tayefeh; Mona Izadian; Abbas Ashoori; leyla Jolaee; Elham Ebrahimi
Abstract
Introduction: Using of waterbirds (waterfowl and waders) census data is common to calculate the size and trend of population changes. Besides, it is important as an indicator of wetlands’ ecological changes in biodiversity conservation. Fars province’s wetlands are one of the most diverse ...
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Introduction: Using of waterbirds (waterfowl and waders) census data is common to calculate the size and trend of population changes. Besides, it is important as an indicator of wetlands’ ecological changes in biodiversity conservation. Fars province’s wetlands are one of the most diverse aquatic habitats in Iran where have been severely damaged in recent years due to reduced water levels and habitat changes and consequently, these international wetlands are categorized in the list of Montero as a threatened wetland. In this study, trends of total Waterbirds population changes in Fars province and their main wetlands, including Bakhtegan Basin (Kajjan, Tashk, and Bakhtegan), Parishan and Arjan Plain international wetlands, next to important wetlands of Kaftar, Maharloo and Droudzan Dam Lake have been investigated. Material and methods: The results of the migratory Waterbirds’ census in Fars province had been obtained from the Department of Environment for about thirty years (1988–2018). Though the population census has been conducted in Fars province since 1967, during the years 1967 to 1987, the census was confined to swans, geese, ducks, and coots, other waterbirds have been added to the bird census since 1988.Data had been analyzed in a long-term period (31-years, 1988-2018) and a short-term period (10-year, 2009-2018) by using RTRIM statistical package. This package has been extracted from Trends & Indices for Monitoring Data (TRIM) in R software. Results and discussion: About 14% of the population and 67% of Iran's waterbirds (116 out of 174 species of Iran) have been related to Fars province, in 31 years ago. The results have been shown a sharp decline in the total population of migratory waterbirds in Fars province with -10.9% slope (0.891 ± 0.0004) per year and also a sharp decline in population with -11% slope for a 10-year period (0.890±0.0001). Only the Maharloo wetlands in the long-term and the Drudzen Dam Lake in the Short-term had a stable population trend, while in other wetlands the trend of decreasing population was moderate to steep. The highest long-term population decline was observed in Parishan wetlands and Arjan plain with -13.9% and -10.1%, respectively. In the short-term, the Parishan wetland had the highest population decline of -10% (0.861 ±0.0001) per year. The highest number of species was observed in the 90s and also in 2004-2009, after this period the species richness of these wetlands decreased. as far as the result shows, the proportion of Bakhtegan and Parishan’s waterbird population was varied from 10% to 88% of the total Fars province’s population. Also, the lowest proportion of the waterbird’s population in these two wetlands was recorded in the last ten years. It seems that drying up of aquatic zones and land-use change were among the most important factors affecting the reduction of population and species richness of waterbirds. As a matter of fact, these wetlands do not have the 5 international criteria of Ramsar wetlands based on the status of the waterbird population. Therefore, need to be prioritized and effective restoration and protection of them in environmental protection programs. Conclusion: In recent years, habitat changes due to aquatic changes and anthropogenic factors have reduced the quality of wetland habitats in Fars province and drastic changes in waterbird populations. Providing the environmental sustainability needed for ecological sustainability, establishing an integrated ecosystem management system, implementing comprehensive wetland management programs, and population monitoring are the most important restoration strategies for the studied wetlands. The results of this study can be used in the management of wetlands ecosystems, preparation and implementation of the restoration plan and also a calculation of damages to wetlands in Fars province.
Original Article
Ali Zare; Mohammad Hossein Ramazani Ghavam Abadi
Abstract
Introduction: The Euphrates–Tigris river system is among the most intensely developed freshwater resources worldwide. At the center of its development are large-scale dams supplying extensive irrigation schemes and hydroelectric power plants, which substantially impact the river system’s ...
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Introduction: The Euphrates–Tigris river system is among the most intensely developed freshwater resources worldwide. At the center of its development are large-scale dams supplying extensive irrigation schemes and hydroelectric power plants, which substantially impact the river system’s dynamic and water quality that always objected by other riparian state. considering the lack of multilateral and comprehensive treaty between Euphrates–Tigris basin countries, To determine the extent of the rights and obligations of these countries on controversial issues, identifying of the rules of the international customary law is inevitable. On the other hand, dam construction in the basin, especially from the Turkish state has been followed by Downstream governments and has direct relation with the rights of these states and the obligations of the upstream government from international law perspective. This article seeks to identify and review the international rules governing the basin, while expressing the controversies made by the Downstream governments regarding the Turkish dam-construction.Material and methods: In this research, The method for collecting information and data is in the form of library sources. initially, with the study of the environmental impact of turkey dam construction on downstream government of Tigris and Euphrates basin Among the documents and resources available, The law governing of this basin are identified and defined in the context of international law. The research methodology is based on dogmatic and analytical and descriptive doctrines.Results and discussion: Identifying the rules of international law governing sharing water resources is of great importance and allows states to recognize their rights and duties as well as other neighboring states, provide the maximum protection of the environment and, ultimately, achieve sustainable development in the light of respect for international law and norms.Conclusion: Governments are always recognized as the most important subjects of international law and the main actors in the international arena. Although the Turkish government refers to the use of the Tigris and Euphrates international rivers as absolute sovereignty, however, with regard to the constant development of international law, today the traditional perceptions and views of the absolute sovereignty of each state about the use of sharing water resources has become outdated and in accordance with the existing international law and emergence of international environmental rules, turkeys sovereignty is limited in the use of the Tigris and Euphrates international rivers
Original Article
Shideh Atri; Mostafa Panahi; Reza Arjmandi; Alireza Gharagozlou
Abstract
Introduction: Reviewing the Function of many environmental conservation organizations over the past decades, including in Iran, shows that the focus of environmental orientations and policies, due to the lack of accurate and reliable information, is more dependent on the application of instructions and ...
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Introduction: Reviewing the Function of many environmental conservation organizations over the past decades, including in Iran, shows that the focus of environmental orientations and policies, due to the lack of accurate and reliable information, is more dependent on the application of instructions and guidance methods, and less Quantitative management approaches are used. Therefore, this study is aimed at modeling the process of land use changes in the last thirty years (1987-2018) and predicting the future status in case of continuation of the current trend and using improper management patterns. For this purpose, the InVEST software is used to analyze the present situation and to draw future conditions. The results in map form provide a good opportunity for managers and decision-makers to infer trends in future changes and modify management patterns to improve conditions. Material and methods: In this study, satellite images of Landsat 5, 7 and 8 According to years 1987, 2000 and 2018, were used for land use mapping in Jajrood protected area through extraction in ENVI 5.3 remote sensing software and ArcGIS 10.3 software. The accuracy of the classifications has been evaluated. According to the purpose of the study the area of study is divided into 10 user units. These units include poor rangelands, rich rangelands, planted forests, agricultural lands, barren lands, dam, residential areas, rivers, dirt and paved roads and the status and area of each user unit was determined.Finally, the scenario generator model of the InVEST software version 3.6.0., which uses a completely new approach to quantify and map, was applied in mapping the status of the future. Results and discussion: According to the results of the past 30 years, the extent of residential areas, roads and planted forests has increased, and the extent of river distribution has decreased, as a result poor rangelands increased and rich rangelands decreased as well as changes in barren lands was clearly visible. So that, the extent of the barren lands has declined by the year 2000 due to the conversion to man-made use (near residential areas) and poor rangelands (due to favorable weather conditions, including suitable rainfall). The situation in the Barren areas during the period ending in 2018 has increased due to the bad weather (drought) and the irregular grazing of livestock and the conversion of poor rangelands into the Barren areas. The agricultural lands have increased over a period of time due to its proximity to residential areas and then a downward trend has taken place due to increasing land value. In recent years, the Mamlou Dam has also been constructed and operated in the area. In fact, because of Jajrood's proximity to large city of Tehran and the increasing population, the need for ecosystem services in the area has increased, and man-made uses being replaced natural land uses.Future forecasts showed that the extent of planted forests, barren and residential areas would increase; rangelands and agricultural lands would decrease. During the study period, rich rangelands marked as the most reduced area and residential areas marked as the most increased area. Conclusion: The Jajrood Protected Area has undergone significant land use changes over the past 30 years due to human intervention. These changes have been caused by economic and social changes. It has been accompanied by management challenges in adherence to safeguards and efforts to achieve the defined goals for such areas. The changes of natural land use and the replacement of man-made use in the face of unnecessary development have undermined the natural landscape of the Jajrood Protected Area. This study showed that changes in multiple ecosystem services will act as major drivers of human change through changes in land cover / land use.In addition to identifying land use change, identifying suitable areas for natural capital conservation, man-made use development and sustainable land use, spatial development planning can be carried out in a way that reduces future uncertainties. It will result in making informed decisions and foster synergies in both environmental and development sectors.
Original Article
Nima Rohani; Taher Rajaee; Barat Mojaradi; Ehsan Jabbari; Seyed Ahmad Shafiei Darabi; Mehran Heidari Bani
Abstract
Introduction: Numerous studies have been carried out on climate change and weather change. Some of these studies include the study of surface water resources. Because these water resources are, on the one hand, highly affected by climate change, they also affect the Peripheral environment and the Environment. ...
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Introduction: Numerous studies have been carried out on climate change and weather change. Some of these studies include the study of surface water resources. Because these water resources are, on the one hand, highly affected by climate change, they also affect the Peripheral environment and the Environment. Most of the studies in this field are based on the data of meteorological stations, hydrometer stations and different satellite images. Landsat satellite imagery is well suited for studying for decades, due to its relatively old age. The purpose of the present study is to study the changes of Namak (salt) Lake and Hoz-e Soltan Salt Lake using quantitative and qualitative meteorological data of ground stations and Landsat satellite images. Material and methods: First, using the available climatic parameters, the period and time steps of the study were determined. These parameters included mean temperature, maximum and minimum temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, evaporation and so on which were measured at three stations of Qom province including Qom, Salafchegan and Kahak stations. This was done by routing and examining climate change and climatic mutations in each of these parameters. In such a way, by using graphical representation and appropriate statistical test, unusual changes were extracted and that special year were excluded. Next, images of Landsat satellites were taken at selected times in the previous step. These images were pre-processed, processed and post-processed. Classification indices of four classes of water, salt land, common soil land and vegetation were applied and localized in Qom province. Results and discussion: Based on the study of changes in climate parameters, inappropriate years eliminated and study times from 1989 to 2019 with 5-year time steps were selected. Images of these times were classified for the Namak Lake, Hoz-e Soltan Salt Lake and their surrounding environment using the Support Vector Machine (SVM) method in ENVI software. This classification was applied to the images every seven steps and yielded the area of each class of water, salty soil, common soil, and vegetation. The results of classification were controlled by the visual method and a number of ground samples. Next, the class changes were modeled and calculated. The rate of change of each class and its conversion into other three classes were calculated between the time steps and its results were presented as a change matrix. The change matrix was expressed as a percentage of change and as a change in metric units (square meters). On this basis, it was possible to survey the major changes of each class and study it. Conclusion: In general, the trend of climatic parameters and the water zones of Qom province changes have been similar. During the study period for the Hoz-e Soltan wetland basin, the mid-study period of about 2004 with a surface area of 61667 hectares can be considered the driest year in the period of study. In the case of the Namak Lake, the years 2004 to 2014 are also the driest years. 2009 is the driest year in the study area, with an area of about 281 hectares. Investigating these changes by identifying the basin of both water resources and their differences will provide valuable information to researchers.
Original Article
Hossein Rafieemehr; Lotfali Kozegarkaleji
Abstract
Introduction: Groundwater is considered the most important source for various uses in arid and semi-arid regions. Thus, evaluating the effects of human activities such as changes in land use/cover on groundwater resources plays a vital role in sustainable water management and, therefore, spatial planning. ...
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Introduction: Groundwater is considered the most important source for various uses in arid and semi-arid regions. Thus, evaluating the effects of human activities such as changes in land use/cover on groundwater resources plays a vital role in sustainable water management and, therefore, spatial planning. Accordingly, the need to integrate land use planning and water resources management is widely emphasized. In addition, perceiving the spatio-temporal relationship between land use changes and groundwater resources is crucial for the sustainable management of the plains in Iran. The present study aimed to assess this relationship in the Hamedan-Bahar Plain.Material and methods: In the study, the land use maps of 1989, 1997, 2005, 2013, and 2018 were prepared from Landsat satellite images, categorized, and evaluated with respect to accuracy. Further, six uses including irrigated and dry agricultural lands, rangelands and elevations, man-made areas, gardens, and surface water resources were extracted and classified. Furthermore, the distribution maps for groundwater depth were prepared through kriging for five years based on the piezometric data. Finally, the correlation and relationship between land use changes and groundwater depth fluctuations were determined by the REGRESS method.Results and discussion: The land use maps demonstrated an increase in the share of rangelands and elevations (9.68% in 1989 to 40.85% in 2018) and their conversion to dry agricultural lands. Additionally, the share of man-made and irrigated agricultural lands increased from 1.27 to 2.45% and 5.32 to 6.25% during the timespan, respectively. The trend of changes in groundwater level was more evident in the flatbed of the plain, in which groundwater level was less than 1800 m and important habitats and irrigated agricultural lands were available. In addition, the average annual depletion of groundwater level for a 29-year time span was 0.91 m, and the minimum and maximum of the R–value related to five study periods was obtained 0.36 and 0.40 based on the REGRESS method, respectively. Further, the role of managerial factors should be considered as well as the relative relationship between groundwater level changes and land use. Furthermore, the correlation between the decrease in groundwater level and land use in each period relatively increased compared to the previous one by representing an R-value of 0.40 during 1989-2018, which can explain almost 16.2% of their changes. Due to the water resource scarcity, land use should be planned based on the scale, power, and extent of plains and watersheds in order to attain a sustainable regional water system.Conclusion: The results of the study can play an important role in understanding the importance of groundwater resources and emphasize the necessity of paying more attention to the effects and changes of land use on groundwater in arid and semi-arid regions. Additionally, the results indicated the sensitivity of groundwater, as the most important water resource in the plains located in arid and semi-arid regions, to the types of variations. Decreasing rangelands, gardens, aqueduct, and surface water-dependent thickets as well as expanding dry and irrigated agricultural and man-made lands are regarded as some of the factors reducing groundwater level in the region. It is worth noting that these factors should be integrally evaluated with respect to other factors such as irrigation systems, water pricing, cultivation pattern, agricultural economics, and an increase in runoff.
