Amin Salehpour Jam; Noredin Rostami; Shokoufeh Abdali
Abstract
In this study, aimed at assessing managerial-institutional resilience across different sub-watersheds of the Sang Sefid watershed, the indicators for each of the aforementioned components were first identified based on a review of the literature, library studies, interviews with experts, and field observations. ...
Read More
In this study, aimed at assessing managerial-institutional resilience across different sub-watersheds of the Sang Sefid watershed, the indicators for each of the aforementioned components were first identified based on a review of the literature, library studies, interviews with experts, and field observations. In this research, using a multi-response coding method, the questionnaire variables were qualitative ordinal variables, consistent with the Likert scale (Very Low = 1, Low = 2, Moderate = 3, High = 4, and Very High = 5). Following the assessment of the questionnaire's validity and reliability, a survey was conducted among the watershed residents. In this regard, the validity of the measurement instrument was confirmed by a panel of experts, and the sample size was calculated using Cochran's formula. It should be noted that 14 expert specialists were consulted to assess the validity of the questionnaire and the indicators for measuring resilience, and finally, the validity of the measurement instrument was confirmed by them. Regarding reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was employed to calculate the reliability or dependability of the measurement instrument. Furthermore, the managerial-institutional resilience of local communities exposed to flood risk within the hydrological units of the Sang Sefid watershed was assessed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the K-means cluster analysis method. The comparison of the two methods—one-way ANOVA and K-means cluster analysis—demonstrated a significant convergence in assessing the managerial-institutional flood resilience potential of the hydrological units. The identification of Units S-int3 and S9 as the least and most resilient units, respectively, in both methods reinforces the internal validity of the findings. Moreover, the similar grouping of the other units into three distinct classes (with the exception of Unit S-int5) reveals a clear pattern of spatial distribution of resilience across the region, which can serve as a basis for prioritizing management interventions.
Amin Salehpour Jam; Jamal Mosaffaie
Abstract
Introduction
The country's watersheds are dynamic ecosystems whose health has been affected by civil, economic, and social developments. This is while, in the current situation, in addition to human and management factors, climate change has also had undesirable consequences in these areas. The decline ...
Read More
Introduction
The country's watersheds are dynamic ecosystems whose health has been affected by civil, economic, and social developments. This is while, in the current situation, in addition to human and management factors, climate change has also had undesirable consequences in these areas. The decline in the health of the country's watersheds, on the one hand, has made it difficult to provide ecosystem services in these areas, and on the other hand, has led to the emergence of various environmental hazards such as desertification and land degradation, land subsidence, floods, landslides, and dust phenomena. In this regard, the country's Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization implements a variety of biological, mechanical, biomechanical, and management measures to conserve water and soil and control floods in its watersheds. This is despite the fact that these measures are mostly reactive (therapeutic) and less attention has been paid to their preventive aspects. Accordingly, this study aims to identify and prioritize reactive and proactive solutions to improve the health state of the Kal-Aji watershed based on the DPSIR framework and non-parametric statistical tests.
Materials and methods
In the first stage, the drivers and pressures resulting in the health status of the Kal-Aji watershed and the related impacts were identified through a literature review, a visit to the watershed, interviews with experts from the departments of natural resources, environment, regional water, the Agricultural Jihad, the Agricultural and Natural Resources Engineering Organization of Golestan, faculty members of academic and research centers, and interviews with local communities. Then, a working group consisting of 26 stakeholders, local knowledgeable individuals, and experts knowledgeable about the issues and problems of the watershed began to determine solutions to improve the health of the Kal-Aji watershed and eliminate or modify the related adverse impacts. In the last stage, after forming the DPSIR table and identifying the various components, the importance of each of the variables categorized under the five DPSIR components was prioritized and determined. For this purpose, a Likert-scale questionnaire was used as a measurement tool. In this study, each variable was considered as an item, and the validity of the questionnaire was finally confirmed based on the opinions of experts. Also, Cronbach's alpha method was used to calculate the reliability of the measurement tool.
Results and discussion
In this study, eight drivers and 16 subsequent pressures were identified in creating six variables related to the health state component of the Kal-Aji watershed. In addition, seven variables related to the adverse impacts of the current watershed health state and 28 responses to improve the watershed health state were identified and introduced. The results show that D1 and D8 have the minimum and maximum links in creating subsequent pressures, respectively. Also, D5 with 8 links is the second driver with the maximum connections with the pressure component. In this study, the responses identified as resolving the problems listed under the four components of driver-pressure-state-impact are one of the following three: (1) a specific response to a specific problem, (2) a multi-objective response that resolves more than one problem, and (3) the existence of different responses for a specific problem. Accordingly, of the total responses, 35.7 percent (10), 46.4 percent (13), 14.3 percent (4), and 25.0 percent (7) are related to the components of driver, pressure, state, and impact, respectively. Considering the calculated values above 0.7 of Cronbach's alpha, all questionnaires have acceptable reliability (P and R) and goodness (D, S, and I) in this study. There is also a significant difference between the types of variables identified under the components of the DPSIR framework. The results showed that D5, D8, and D3, in order of importance, have been assigned the first three priorities from the experts' perspective. The results also showed that P1, P11, P6, and P3, respectively, have been assigned the top five priorities of pressures. These pressures are among the common pressures in the country's watersheds. In this study, S2 was prioritized as the most important indicator of the health status of the watershed. Consistent with the results of other studies, in addition to applying reactive water and soil conservation responses in watershed management to improve directly the state, it is necessary to pay attention to proactive responses that eliminate the various drivers and pressures identified as a result of the current state of the watershed's erosion and sediment production potential. Also, S3 and S1 were prioritized in the next order of importance. The ranking of the consequences resulting from the current state of watershed health showed that I3, I1, and I2 were assigned the first to third priority, respectively. Also, prioritizing the importance of various reactive and preventive responses showed that R20, R4, R6, R17, and R9, respectively, have been assigned the top five priorities in eliminating or modifying drivers and pressures, improving the health state of the Kal-Aji watershed, and eliminating or modifying the adverse impacts of its health state. In this regard, R4, R6, R17, and R9 are among the common responses considered in other studies conducted in other watersheds of the country.
Conclusions
In this study, the importance of various drivers and pressures resulting in the current state of watershed health and its subsequent impacts were identified and prioritized. Also, types of reactive and proactive responses to improve the watershed health and eliminate or reduce the associated adverse impacts were identified and prioritized. The results of the Friedman test indicated the presence of a significant difference between the importance of the types of variables identified under the DPSIR framework components. Accordingly, D5, P1, S2, and I3 were prioritized as the most important drivers, pressures, states, and impacts, respectively. Also, R20, R4, and R6 were assigned the first three priorities of responses, respectively. In this regard, it is strongly recommended to pay attention to (1) all solutions to address the problems identified under the components of the DPSIR framework, (2) the role of various stakeholders in the basin in the planning process to improve watershed health and reduce related risks, (3) the development of action plans related to the responses, and (4) the development of decision support systems and related databases.
Mahmoudreza Tabatabaei; Amin Salehpour Jam; Jamal Mosaffaie
Abstract
IntroductionRapid population growth and economic development, especially in sensitive areas like watersheds, have increased the demand for water resources, leading to significant challenges. In watershed management, monitoring erosion and sedimentation processes is of paramount importance, as these processes ...
Read More
IntroductionRapid population growth and economic development, especially in sensitive areas like watersheds, have increased the demand for water resources, leading to significant challenges. In watershed management, monitoring erosion and sedimentation processes is of paramount importance, as these processes directly influence the quality and quantity of water resources. Awareness of suspended sediment loads in these basins can facilitate a deeper understanding of ecological processes and assist in the assessment of the environmental status of watersheds, which in turn improves the management and conservation of water resources. The word “transform” in your sentence means to change or significantly improve something. In this context, it suggests that the design and implementation of advanced systems will lead to a significant enhancement or alteration in the way research is conducted regarding watershed management, sediment, and erosion. By aggregating and analyzing hydrologic data, this system provides accurate and up-to-date information on the amount of suspended sediment in rivers, enabling continuous and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of watersheds. This, in turn, facilitates the adoption of necessary measures for the optimal management of these resources.. Materials and methodsIn this research, a specialized spatial system for the management and analysis of hydrological data has been developed using the C# programming language and open-source spatial libraries. This system utilizes the SQLite database as its underlying data storage platform and employs Entity Framework 6 (EF6) and LINQ for facilitating data extraction and management. In the database design, sedimentation and flow discharge data have been comprehensively collected and stored. The system is capable of executing a variety of spatial and descriptive queries and analyses on this data. Furthermore, it provides the capability to perform statistical analyses and extract statistical summaries from the sedimentation data. These features enable researchers to process and analyze the data with ease, allowing for a more precise examination of results related to erosion and sedimentation processes. The designed system serves as an efficient tool, facilitating the monitoring and assessment of watershed conditions. Results and discussionThe results of this research can be summarized into two main sections: system design and construction, and statistical analysis of sedimentation data in the Aras watershed. In the first section, which focuses on the design and development of the spatial system, appropriate graphical interfaces for data storage, user interaction with the database, and data management were designed and coded with the help of modern techniques and advanced methods. By utilizing these tools, the data extraction and management process was streamlined, and the possibility of performing statistical analyses was enabled. As a result, users can process and analyze the data with greater accuracy and ease. In the second section, the statistical results obtained from the analysis of the sedimentation data of the Aras Basin (with 26,156 data points recorded up to 2017) indicate that, at the basin scale, the average daily suspended sediment discharge is 11,814.95 tons per day, the average concentration of suspended sediment is 4,185.68 milligrams per liter, and the average instantaneous flow discharge is 13.16 cubic meters per second. At the level of study units, the highest and lowest average suspended sediment discharge values were found in the study units of Jolfā-Dūzāl (code 1105) with a value of 10,312.33 tons per day, and Qara Ziyaldin (code 1108) with a value of 991.96 tons per day, respectively. Moreover, at the hydrometric station scale, the highest and lowest average daily suspended sediment discharge were observed at the Jolfā hydrometric station (code 807-19) with 571,697.82 tons per day, and Nāvar-Khrouji Neor (code 0195-19) with 2.82 tons per day, respectively. The extreme values of suspended sediment recorded at the Jolfā hydrometric station are significantly high (over 3 million tons per day), so these figures should be used with caution. According to the findings, the land in this area is located in marly zones that are highly susceptible to erosion, and the contribution of lateral erosion in producing sediment is significant in river sections that have developed meandering patterns. However, further studies on land-use changes and other factors influencing sediment generation in this area are required. ConclusionThis research was conducted with the aim of developing a national software infrastructure for managing suspended sediment data and flow discharge from hydrometric stations. The developed system possesses the capability to store, retrieve, and analyze spatial and temporal data, and it is specifically utilized for simulating suspended sediment in rivers. Additionally, advanced graphical interfaces have been created to significantly facilitate user interaction with the data. One of the notable features of this system is its use of open-source technologies in its design and development. This ensures that there are no legal restrictions or dependencies on foreign licenses for its use and development. This characteristic significantly enhances the commercialization potential of the system both domestically and in international markets. In addition to the design and development of this software system, the results obtained from its application in rapid and accurate statistical analysis of sediment data from the Aras watershed clearly demonstrate its unique capabilities in data management and analysis. Given the importance of accurately understanding erosion and sedimentation processes in the watersheds of the country, this system serves as an efficient and effective tool for obtaining precise and reliable information.
Maryam Sabouri; Haydeh Ara; Mohammad Kia Kianian; Amin Salehpour Jam
Abstract
IntroductionOver the past decades, excessive and unplanned exploitation of watershed resources (soil, water, and vegetation) has led to a decline in their overall health. One approach that can play a preventive role in this regard is to focus on alternative livelihoods, especially in the ecotourism and ...
Read More
IntroductionOver the past decades, excessive and unplanned exploitation of watershed resources (soil, water, and vegetation) has led to a decline in their overall health. One approach that can play a preventive role in this regard is to focus on alternative livelihoods, especially in the ecotourism and tourism sectors. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and assess geosites and geomorphosites across different regions. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the tourism value of geomorphotourism landscapes in the Hableh-Rud basin using the Pralong model. Materials and methodsTo evaluate these geosites, detailed information about the studied area was obtained through field and library studies. The Hableh-Rud watershed, with an area of 1,265,977 hectares, is located between 52°39' to 53°08' east longitude and 35°26' to 35°57' north latitude in Tehran and Semnan provinces. From among the geomorphic sites in the Hableh-Rud region, three sites were selected, and a detailed profile was prepared for each geomorphosite. The sites include Rudafshan Cave in the west of Damavand city, Khumdeh Spring, and Vashi Gorge. In this research, based on the Pralong model, a survey of experts knowledgeable about the study area and visiting tourists (30 people) was conducted using a simple random sampling method. The Pralong model specifically evaluates the tourism quality of geomorphosites and their potential for use. In this model, the tourism value of a site is calculated as the average of its aesthetic, scientific, cultural, and functional-economic values. Specific criteria and scales have been defined to determine the value of each aspect of the tourism quality of geomorphic sites. Accordingly, the tourism score of a site is the average of these four criteria. Results and discussionAfter analyzing the data, it was determined that, among the three selected sites, the Vashi Gorge geosite has the highest geomorphotourism value, with a tourism score of 0.54 and an average use potential value of 0.68. Factors that have increased the value and importance of the Vashi Gorge include its uniqueness at the national level, pleasant and cool climate, distinctive geomorphological forms and unique engravings on the stone wall of the gorge, as well as the scenery of the waterfall and the presence of a very beautiful meadow surrounding it. This gorge, with its raging river and cool water, has attracted many visitors and tourists. The Rudafshan Cave geosites ranked second with a tourism score of (0.41). The reasons for this ranking can be attributed to the concentration of geomorphological phenomena in a small area (inside the cave), its location next to Rudafshan village, and natural attractions (Delichai River, the pristine nature of the village with green and tall trees). The Khumdeh mineral spring with a score of (0.31) ranked third. The reasons include the unique character of the spring in the region, its therapeutic properties, its proximity to the flowing Hableh-Rud River, the beautiful surrounding nature, and easy access via an asphalted road. The evaluations show that the tourism values of the geomorphological landforms in the Vashi Gorge region are mainly due to the high scores for physical beauty, cultural value, and scientific value of this landform. The interrelationships between these values should be considered. In general, across all landforms, the aesthetic score and the scientific score are similar. ConclusionsAccording to the results, the highest tourism quality and value belong to the Vashi Gorge, and the lowest belongs to the Khumdeh mineral spring. However, except for the Vashi Gorge, the scores for scientific and aesthetic quality, as well as use potential, in the other landforms are very low. It is necessary to provide these landforms with the facilities needed by tourists to ensure optimal utilization of these areas. The tourism value of these sites depends on the high quality of their aesthetic appeal and their cultural and scientific qualities. Factors such as difficult access, the lack of amenities and proper services, and insufficient attention to geotourism have contributed to the relatively low total calculated scores.
jamal mosaffaie; Ataollah Ebrahimi; Mahmood Arabkhedri; Parviz Garshasbi; Amin Salehpour Jam; Mahmoudreza Tabatabaei; Hamidreza Peyrowan; Mohammadreza Gharibreza; Mehran Zand; Bagher Ghermez Cheshme
Abstract
Extended abstractIntroductionIn recent years, the country's watersheds have been exposed to man-made problems and sufferings such as erosion, floods, and droughts, leading to great yearly losses. To effectively manage watersheds, it is necessary to conduct appropriate and practical research, which in ...
Read More
Extended abstractIntroductionIn recent years, the country's watersheds have been exposed to man-made problems and sufferings such as erosion, floods, and droughts, leading to great yearly losses. To effectively manage watersheds, it is necessary to conduct appropriate and practical research, which in turn requires solving the problems related to this area. To identify and determine the problems of the research department, getting the opinions of experts, researchers, and elites and thinking together with them is considered a suitable solution, which can later solve problems and problems. This article intends to analyze their problems in soil conservation and watershed management based on common thinking with the research and education centers of agriculture and natural resources of the country. Methods and materialsFor this purpose, these problems were collected based on the request of the SCWMRI from the agricultural and natural resources research and training centers of the province. Then, the announcements were categorized in two organizational and thematic ways (general and partial). In the organizational classification, each of the issues raised by the provinces was assigned to one of the departments according to their relationship with each of the organizational departments of the SCWMRI. In the subject classification, in the first stage, each of the issues raised by the provinces was assigned to three sub-sectors including research or technological, structural, and support, according to the nature of the subject. In the second stage, the issues raised by the provinces were assigned to more detailed categories according to the nature of the subject. Results and discussionThe results indicate that in this survey, 25 out of 32 provincial centers (78% participation) have announced 182 cases as problems in the research department in soil conservation and watershed management. Thematic classification of the announced instances showed that the subjects of knowledge-based productivity of watershed resources, watershed monitoring and evaluation, and solving the gap in the research department with implementation have the most importance with 28, 26, and 25 cases (15%, 14%, and 13%), respectively. The results of organizational classification also indicate that the departments of the directorate and research departments of watershed management and hydrology and water resources development have the most importance with 34, 28, and 24 cases (19%, 15%, and 14%), respectively. ConclusionBased on the results of this research, the managers and decision-makers of the research and implementation departments of soil and watershed protection in the country will be able to have better targeting for their future policies, strategies, and actions.
Hasan Nikkhou; Amin Salehpour Jam; Zahra Gerami
Abstract
Introduction
Today, the natural resources of the country face serious problems and threats such as water scarcity, drought, climate change, water pollution, soil and air pollution, desertification, soil erosion, and issues arising from unsustainable and inappropriate land use practices such as deforestation, ...
Read More
Introduction
Today, the natural resources of the country face serious problems and threats such as water scarcity, drought, climate change, water pollution, soil and air pollution, desertification, soil erosion, and issues arising from unsustainable and inappropriate land use practices such as deforestation, destruction of rangelands, overgrazing, and unsustainable agriculture. This underscores the urgent need for a more serious focus on the issue of research and sustainable development in the management of the country's natural resources and environment to provide solutions to problems and improve the health and sustainability of the country's ecosystems. Despite the abundance of research articles in the field of watershed management with an emphasis on its technical and managerial aspects published in domestic and international journals, the categorization and thematic analysis of scientific research articles published in domestic journals have received less attention. In this regard, this study aims to investigate the thematic analysis and classification of various types of articles published in the Watershed Engineering and Management Journal, as well as to examine the thematic trends of each category over three five-year periods.
Materials and methods
This study was conducted with the aim of examining and evaluating the articles published in the "Watershed Engineering and Management" journal during the period from 1388 to the end of 1402 (Volume 15, Issue 4). In this regard, the first step was to classify the types of published articles thematically. Additionally, to examine the frequency of various types of articles published in the relevant specialized categories, as well as the frequency of keywords presented in these articles, three time periods were considered, including the periods from 2009 to 2013 (Volumes 1 to 5), 2014 to 2018 (Volumes 6 to 10), and 2019 to 2023 (Volumes 11 to 15). Furthermore, in this study, an investigation was conducted into the perspectives of faculty members and research experts of the five research groups of the Soil and Watershed Conservation Research Institute regarding the submission of articles to the "Watershed Engineering and Management" journal, as well as the quality, characteristics, challenges, and functions of articles published in this journal during the period from 2009 to the end of 2023 (Volume 15, Issue 4). In this regard, after categorizing the types of published articles thematically by the five research groups and designing relevant questionnaires, a survey was conducted regarding the role of selected factors in submitting articles, as well as the types of published articles categorized by each group, based on a questionnaire consisting of 11 qualitative ordinal variables and scoring according to the Likert pentagon spectrum. After examining the validity and reliability of the measurement tool and determining the sample size using the Cochran formula, descriptive statistical analysis was employed in this study to analyze the results.
Results and discussion
In this study, articles were categorized into 12 thematic classes based on their titles. The results indicate that the thematic categories of "Hydrology" and "Horticulture" have the maximum and minimum frequencies, respectively. The findings reveal that the number of articles presented in the categories of "Climate", "Geomorphology", "Management", "Hydrology", and "Hydrogeology" shows an ascending trend over the triennial periods of 2009 to 2013 (Volumes 1 to 5), 2014 to 2018 (Volumes 6 to 10), and 2019 to 2023 (Volumes 11 to 15). The results also show that the five keywords "Geographic Information System", "Runoff", "Soil Erosion", "Sediment", and "Remote Sensing" have the highest frequency in the articles published during the period from 2009 to the end of 2023 (Volume 15, Issue 4). Furthermore, the results indicate that all research groups have given higher than average scores for selecting this journal as the first choice for publishing their articles. Additionally, factors such as "Review and Publication Time", "Review and Publication Costs", and "Ease of Working with the Journal System (Sina Web)" play an important role in encouraging researchers to submit articles to this journal, with average scores above average and more than average. This is while the roles of editorial board members, chief editors, editors-in-chief, internal, and executive managers in submitting articles to this journal have varying degrees of importance, ranging from low to less than high. Moreover, the survey results show that the five research groups have given scores higher than average to less than very high to the alignment of article topics with the journal's focuses.. In this regard, articles related to the expertise of the Watershed Management research group have the highest alignment (from high to very high) with the journal's focuses. This is while the innovation of articles is mostly average, which is evaluated as less than average to average for articles related to the expertise of the Drought and Climate Change research group. Furthermore, the results indicate that the level of application of innovative research tools and methods in the articles of this journal is mostly average to less than high. Additionally, the subject matter of the articles published in this journal is mostly scored higher than less than average to less than high for addressing the country's needs and challenges. This is less than average for articles related to the River Engineering and Coastal Protection group and between average to less than high for other groups. Except for the Drought and Climate Change group, the application of the results and achievements of these articles in the description of detailed-executive watershed studies is less than average. This highlights the urgent need for a review of the description of detailed-executive watershed studies by the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization.
Conclusions
The results indicate that the thematic categories of "Hydrology" and "Horticulture" have the maximum and minimum frequencies, respectively. Furthermore, the number of articles presented in the categories of "Climate", "Geomorphology", "Management", "Hydrogeology", and "Hydrology" shows an ascending trend over the three five-year periods. Additionally, the keywords "Geographic Information System", "Runoff", "Soil Erosion", "Sediment", and "Remote Sensing" have the highest frequency in the articles published in this journal during the period from 2009 to 2023. Regarding the inclination and influential factors in submitting articles by the faculty members of the Soil and Watershed Conservation Research Institute to this journal, the results indicate that all research groups have given scores higher than average for selecting this journal as their first choice for publishing their articles. Additionally, factors such as "Review and Publication Time", "Review and Publication Costs", and "Ease of Working with the Journal System (Sina Web)" play an important role in encouraging researchers to submit articles to this journal, with average scores above average and more than average. The results indicate that the five research groups have given scores ranging from above average to less than very high for the alignment of article topics with the journal's focuses. This is while the innovation of articles and the level of application of innovative research tools and methods in the articles of this journal are respectively at an average and less than high level. Additionally, the results of evaluating the quality of article publication in this journal, in terms of aspects such as editing, formatting, and illustration clarity, suggest a relatively good status (above average to less than very high) for the journal. Furthermore, the subject matter of the articles published in this journal is mostly scored higher than less to less than high for addressing the country's needs and challenges. Also, except for the Drought and Climate Change group, the application of the results and achievements of these articles in the description of detailed-executive watershed studies is less than average. The current evaluation can serve as a model for examining and analyzing other journals and improving the quality of various scientific content published in them.
Ardeshir Mesbah; Esmail Karamidehkordi; Shadali Tohidloo; Amin Salehpour Jam; Tofigh Saadi
Abstract
Introduction
A comprehensive examination of natural hazards in Iran highlights the country's susceptibility to extensive damage from various natural crises. Iran's unique spatial structure has made it one of the world's most vulnerable regions to environmental hazards. This research reviews the application ...
Read More
Introduction
A comprehensive examination of natural hazards in Iran highlights the country's susceptibility to extensive damage from various natural crises. Iran's unique spatial structure has made it one of the world's most vulnerable regions to environmental hazards. This research reviews the application of “resilience” in studies of natural hazards, including floods, drought, and land degradation (single-hazard studies) as well as studies that combine these hazards (combined studies) across different regions of Iran.
Materials and methods
This study utilized a conceptual research methodology, performing a systematic review of related research documents published in Iran, such as journal articles, dissertations, and theses. The databases used included the "Scientific Information Center of Academic Jihad (SID)", "Iran’s Research Institute of Science and Information Technology (Irandoc)", "Information Bank of Iran's Publications (Magiran)", "Knowledge Reference (Civilica)", and "Google Scholar". While previous studies have often examined resilience within an established analytical framework (concept analysis), this study employed a conceptual methodology aimed at representing knowledge and analyzing data from multiple disciplines. This approach helps clarify meanings and expand operational definitions. The data were analyzed thematically, enabling a more objective examination of resilience across various scientific fields.
Results and discussion
The first study on resilience in Iran was conducted in 1988 in a dissertation at Tarbiat Modares University, and the concept appeared in articles in "Hakim Research Journal" in 2005. However, resilience studies focusing on natural hazards, especially in rural areas of Iran, are relatively recent, mostly emerging since the early 2010s. Based on the search criteria, 1,742 scientific documents were identified, with 57 relevant articles included in the review. Most documents were found in "Google Scholar," while the fewest were retrieved from "SID." The highest number of studies was conducted in 2017 (12 studies), and the lowest in 2012, 2021, and 2022 (one study each). Data from most studies were analyzed using statistical tests with SPSS, PLS, and AMOS software, while ArcGIS was commonly used for spatial data display and zoning to prioritize study areas. Most resilience studies focused on drought (36.8%), while the fewest focused on land degradation (10.5%).
Conclusion
The results show that, in flood-related research, the social dimension (29.4%) received the most attention, whereas the institutional dimension (20.6%) received the least. In drought research, the economic dimension (35.4%) received the most attention, while the institutional dimension (16.7%) received the least. In land degradation studies, the physical dimension (33.4%) was the most frequently examined, with other dimensions receiving 22.2% of the focus. Overall, the physical dimension (30.8%) and social dimension (20.5%) received the most attention. By identifying key resilience components, these findings can improve crisis management, reduce damages, and support the planning of development and educational projects in Iran.
Alireza Rabet; Ghobad Rostamizad; Amin Salehpour Jam
Abstract
Introduction
One of the important problems in the process of implementing and maintaining watershed projects and natural resources is the lack of effective participation and cooperation of watershed residents. Based on this, it is necessary and inevitable to pay attention to the inhibiting factors and ...
Read More
Introduction
One of the important problems in the process of implementing and maintaining watershed projects and natural resources is the lack of effective participation and cooperation of watershed residents. Based on this, it is necessary and inevitable to pay attention to the inhibiting factors and also to identify ways to strengthen the participation of local communities in the process of implementing watershed and natural resources projects. This research, was done with the aim of knowing the socio-economic characteristics of local communities, identifying indicators that are effective in reducing obstacles and increasing people's participation in the implementation of natural resources and watershed projects, knowing the expectations and needs of the local community and finally, scientific and technical solutions have been presented to increase the level of public participation in Arpachai pilot area of Zanjan Province .
Materials and methods
In this study, four influential indices, including social-cultural, economic, natural, and managerial, were identified and categorized with 40 sub-indices. Necessary information was collected through surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and multiple sessions with community members and local experts. The sample size was determined using the Cochran formula, and the collected data were analyzed using SPSS software. Also, to check the validity of the questionnaire from Cronbach's alpha, factor analysis was used in order to reduce and categorize the variables affecting people's non-participation in watershed management projects.
Result and discussion
The results showed that six factors explain 64.4% of the variance of the dependent variable and the education and information variable at the local level was recognized as the most effective factor that explained 29.97% of the variance of the dependent variable. Following that, the factors of improving the income and livelihood of villagers with 19.24%, diversity of economic activities and improving performance with 18.93%, strengthening the local economy with 13.92%, management of watershed projects with 11.34% and natural resources management with 4.3% were placed in the second to sixth priority, respectively.
Conclusion
In general, it can be said that the lack of information and awareness of the local community about the positive economic, social, natural and technical aspects and benefits resulting from the implementation of natural resources and watershed management projects in the area of their living and production is one of the important obstacles in the lack of participation and failure to achieve the anticipated goals in the implementation of watershed and natural resources projects in the study area. Based on this, attention and emphasis on the issue of building trust and increasing the level of social trust in the General Administration of Natural Resources and Watershed Management plays a significant role in the process of implementation and success of projects.
Hamzeh Noor; Amin Salehpour Jam; Seyed Hossein Rajai
Abstract
The degree of public participation in watershed management programs is a major determinant of success or failure of the programs, but the factors which make people participate still remain unknown. The main objects of current study are comparison evaluation of effective factors on preventing participation ...
Read More
The degree of public participation in watershed management programs is a major determinant of success or failure of the programs, but the factors which make people participate still remain unknown. The main objects of current study are comparison evaluation of effective factors on preventing participation of rural societies in watershed management plans based on all people and experts’ viewpoints in Emarat Watershed of Khorasan Razavi Province. In the current study the effective factors on preventing participation of rural societies were classify in four classes include "economic", "educational-extension", "design-executive" and "social" indicators and 14 sub-indicators. Then the indicators and sub-indicators were prioritized using Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process and Friedman Test. Finally, the two-sample Kolmogrov–Smirnov Test was also used to examine the agreement of the two views on the importance of the items. The results showed that, from the perspective of both groups of experts and peoples, economic indicator has a greater role in preventing people participation in relation to other indicators. The results of sub-indicators prioritization based on local people and expert’s viewpoints showed that “ignoring people´s income as a direct economic motivation” and “shortage of education of watershed residents about plants and their purposes”, respectively, were ranked as the most important sub-indices. The most important difference of the sub-indices from the perspective of local people and expert are related to the “ignoring people´s income as a direct economic motivation” and “lack of stakeholder’s consultation in the design and development of projects”. The overall conclusion is that considering the benefits of stakeholders, and multi-purpose projects and factors such as stakeholder consultation, and training of local communities can provide the basis participation of people in the watershed development projects.
Amir Sarreshtehdari; Amin Salehpour Jam; Mohammad Jafar Soltani; Aliakbar Noroozi; Alireza Shademani; Masoud kherkhah zarkesh
Abstract
Determining the effectiveness of flood spreading schemes, especially from the point of view of effective economic and social indicators, over a quarter century after their implementation in the country, plays an important role in their assessment. In this study, indicators related to the effects of flood ...
Read More
Determining the effectiveness of flood spreading schemes, especially from the point of view of effective economic and social indicators, over a quarter century after their implementation in the country, plays an important role in their assessment. In this study, indicators related to the effects of flood spreading plans on Ab-Barik Aquifer of Bam were identified and then ranked based on nonparametric statistical tests from the experts' point of view. For this purpose, first the indicators related to the effects of flood spreading projects on the aquifer based on library studies, expert inquiries as well as site visits and face-to-face interviews with local residents and users were identified and finally the validity of the questionnaire based on expert opinions was identified. Finally, the validity of the questionnaire based on the experts' opinions and their comments was finally confirmed. Also, the reliability of the measuring instrument was tested by calculating Cronbach's alpha component. In this research, based on the multi-response coding method, the variables of the questionnaire were of the type of qualitative and qualitative variables consistent with the Likert scale, so at this stage, a survey was conducted from 30 experts. The range of changes in mean rank values varies from 4.15 to 22.88. The results of the ranking of indices based on Friedman test showed a significant difference in the effectiveness of the effective variables in evaluating flood spreading projects on aquifer, so that the question of “reducing the damage to flood lands and gardens” with the rank mean of 22.88 and also the question of “conflicting among the villagers in the area” with the rank mean of 4.15 have maximum and minimum priority, respectively. In addition, the results of the study indicate the high effectiveness of flood spreading schemes in the Ab-Barik Aquifer of Bam.
Amin Salehpour Jam; Hamid Reza Peyrowan; Mahmoud Reza Tabatabaei; Amir Sarreshtehdari; Jamal Mosaffaie
Abstract
The desertification process, by reducing the biological production potential, leads to the destruction of ecosystems. In this research, to assess the role of edaphic factors on desertification in rangelands surrounding Eshtehard, Halgh-e-Darreh highlands, first, the map of units was created by crossing ...
Read More
The desertification process, by reducing the biological production potential, leads to the destruction of ecosystems. In this research, to assess the role of edaphic factors on desertification in rangelands surrounding Eshtehard, Halgh-e-Darreh highlands, first, the map of units was created by crossing maps of slope classes, land uses, and geology using ArcGIS 10.3 software. Three indices of erodibility, salinity and permeability for each land unit were considered and classified. 185 and 179 samples were taken during 2018 and 2019 for indices of salinity and permeability for zoning of the study area, respectively. Then, weights of indices and consistency ratio were calculated by the AHP method. Method of multicriteria optimization and compromise solution, VIKOR method was used to prioritize the alternatives. After calculating the weighted normalized values, priority was given to desertification potential of the units. Also, the results of AHP showed that from the experts' point of view, salinity is the most important factor in desertification. Other factors such as susceptibility to erosion and permeability coefficient are in the next rank order, respectively. The AHP-VIKOR model has very high degree of adaptation to the corresponding classes in the control map. The percentage of compliance and non-compliance of the classes of the potential of desertification risk were 92.91% and 7.09%, respectively. The range of changes of Vikor index based on AHP-VIKOR method varies from 0.443 to 0.967. Accordingly, the study area has three classes of potential or severity of desertification areally 0.5% moderate, 7.06% high and 92.43% very high class respectively.
Mahmoudreza Tabatabaei; Amin Salehpour Jam
Abstract
Relationships between river water quality parameters and physical, geochemical and biological processes carried between basin resources (soil, vegetation, geology, land use, etc.), meteorological variables (temperature, precipitation, snowmelt, etc.), River hydrological variables (flow discharge), as ...
Read More
Relationships between river water quality parameters and physical, geochemical and biological processes carried between basin resources (soil, vegetation, geology, land use, etc.), meteorological variables (temperature, precipitation, snowmelt, etc.), River hydrological variables (flow discharge), as well as human interventions are often very complex, nonlinear and non–deterministic in a way that makes their complete understanding impossible. In this situation, the use of computational intelligence (such as artificial neural networks) is a useful tool in simulating and estimating river water quality variables such as suspended sediment load. In the present study, by combining open source GIS libraries and neural network models (with and without supervisor), an intelligent GIS system has been designed and coded that can estimate daily suspended sediment load under univariate or multivariate conditions. The results of applying this system to Mazaljan River Watershed at Razin hydrometric station showed that this system is able to simulate suspended sediment load with proper performance and validation (with root mean square error of 1033 tonday-1, mean absolute error of 455 tonday-1 and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.89 for the test data set). In general, this system can be used as a national infrastructure in the simulation and management of suspended sediment in all hydrometric stations in the country by relevant organizations.
Mahmoudreza Tabatabaei; Amin Salehpour Jam; Jamal Mosaffaie
Abstract
The proper estimation of the amount of suspended sediment in rivers has an important role in erosion and sediment studies, hydrology and management of watersheds. The simulation of suspended sediment in hydrological systems that has a lot of complexity and at the same time our understanding of the components ...
Read More
The proper estimation of the amount of suspended sediment in rivers has an important role in erosion and sediment studies, hydrology and management of watersheds. The simulation of suspended sediment in hydrological systems that has a lot of complexity and at the same time our understanding of the components and processes within them is always uncertain led to the use of many intelligent models, including artificial neural networks (ANNs). However, the use of these smart models also faces challenges. Determining the proper structure of the network requires optimization of the parameters used (such as the optimal number of neurons and layers, weight and bias, and the type of activation functions), which their proper calibration, using test and error, leads to a lot of time spent in low efficiency. In this study, a multilayer perceptron (MLP) was used to simulate the daily sediment load of the Nirchai River at the site of the Nair hydrometric station in Ardebil province. In order to train the models, in addition to the error back propagation (BP) algorithm, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm was used to optimize the weight and bias of ANNs. The fuzzy clustering method was also used to increase the power of generalization of the models. The results showed that training of ANN models with PSO algorithm with decreasing estimation error (decreasing the PBIAS of estimation and root mean square error up to 0.3% and 10.4 tons per day respectively) is more effective than ANN models that use only error BP techniques. Due to insufficient recorded sediment data in most hydrometric stations of the country on the one hand and the need to train ANNs with sufficient data on the other hand, the use of evolutionary algorithms (e.g. PSO algorithm) can be a good solution for improving the efficiency of intelligent models.
Jamal Mosaffaie; Amin Salehpour Jam
Abstract
Evaluation of the impacts of past watershed projects provides useful insights for future projects. In this study, the hydrology and water resources status of Akujan Catchment of Qazvin Province has been the object of the study in which the effects of various measures of watershed managements were evaluated. ...
Read More
Evaluation of the impacts of past watershed projects provides useful insights for future projects. In this study, the hydrology and water resources status of Akujan Catchment of Qazvin Province has been the object of the study in which the effects of various measures of watershed managements were evaluated. For this purpose, the changes of water resources discharge, increased infiltration, water storage, peaks and volumes of catchment floods, were compared before and after the implementation of watershed management projects. Results showed that 114000 m3 more runoff storage has been carried out by watershed management operations that 20.1% of this volume was related to the structural operations and 79.9% of it was due to biological and biomechanical projects of the catchment. Results of the flood analysis indicated that the role of structural measures in the change of time of concentration is low and even negative. Therefore the reduction of the peak flow and flood volume at the outlet of the catchment is due to the implementation of biological and biomechanical measures which reduces the peak flows by 42.7, 25.4, 20.8, 17.1, 15.3 and 13.8% and flood volumes by 41.8, 24.8, 20.2, 16.5, 14.8 and 13.3% respectively for the return periods of two, five, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years. Another observation is that the effect of watershed management practices on the reduction of flood peak and volume decreases when the return period of flood is increased.
Amin Salehpour Jam; Fahimeh Rasooli; Amir Sarreshtehdari; Jamal Mosaffaie; Mohammad Kia Kianian
Abstract
People participation in the implementation of natural resources practices is one of the approeches that ensure the fulfillment of the goals and success of the projects. In this study, based on expert experience and different projects of natural resources implemented in watershed area surrounding city ...
Read More
People participation in the implementation of natural resources practices is one of the approeches that ensure the fulfillment of the goals and success of the projects. In this study, based on expert experience and different projects of natural resources implemented in watershed area surrounding city of Tehran, the preventing social indices and sub-indices affecting on people participation were recognized and determined into three indices and 10 sub-indices. Obtained results from prioritizing effective social indices on preventing people participation in natural resources plans based on obtained weights from AHP method and expert questionary indicate that “unfavorable behaviorial indices” with weight of 0.623 and “unfavorable demographic indices” with weight of 0.130 have respectively maximum and minimum priorities, in the manner that prioritization of indices based on weights from maximum to minimum importance are “unfavorable behaviorial indices”, “cultural problems” and “unfavorable demographic indices”.Obtained results from prioritizing effective sub-indices based on expert questionary and the Kendalls' W rank test indicate that sub-indices have different roles on preventing people participation in natural resources plans, in the manner that the indices of “shortage of people trust in considering their ideas” with rank mean of 6.80 and “being low literacy and knowledge” with rank mean of 3.16 have respectively maximum and minimum priorities. The results also show that the index of “shortage of people trust” has the most priority as a preventing factor affecting on people participation, in the manner that two sub-indices of “shortage of people trust in considering their ideas” and “shortage of trust to continue projects”are two first priorities, respectively. Sub-indices of “shortage of young people in villages” from index of “unfavorable demographic indices” and also “being low or lack of culture of participation” from index of “cultural problems” were ranked as the most important social sub-indices.
Amin Salehpour Jam; amir sar reshtedari
Abstract
Investigation of desertification trend needs an understanding of phenomena creating changes alone or action and reaction together in the manner that these changes end up in land degradation and desertification. In investigating pedological criterion affecting on land degradation in alluvial fans, first, ...
Read More
Investigation of desertification trend needs an understanding of phenomena creating changes alone or action and reaction together in the manner that these changes end up in land degradation and desertification. In investigating pedological criterion affecting on land degradation in alluvial fans, first, maps of slope classes, land use and geology were created, then a map of units was founded by overlaying and crossing these maps and grid layer created by extension of ET GeoWizards in ArcGIS 10.3 software. In this research, three indices of erodibility, salinity and permeability of soil were considered, finally each was shown in the shape of classified map. Then, weights of criteria and consistency ratio were calculated by AHP method. In this research, VIKOR method was used to prioritize the options. Results showed that the VIKOR index obtained from AHP-VIKOR technique alters from 0.002 to 1.000. Units of V1 and V10 with VIKOR indices of 1.000 and 0.002 have a maximum and minimum of desertification potential, respectively. The alluvial fans in research area were classified in two classes of I and IV from the view point of pedological criterion affecting on desertification using AHP-VIKOR technique, in the manner that 74.18 % of the area is in the low desertification potential, and 25.82 % is in the very high desertification potential, respectively.
Jamal Mosaffaie; Davood Nikkami; Amin Salehpour Jam
Abstract
In order to achieve sustainable development, planning an appropriate management program is essential. Watersheds are the main units of land management and the main objective of this paper is to review the history, current status and future management needs of these units in Iran. For this purpose, the ...
Read More
In order to achieve sustainable development, planning an appropriate management program is essential. Watersheds are the main units of land management and the main objective of this paper is to review the history, current status and future management needs of these units in Iran. For this purpose, the concepts of watershed and watershed management were explained and organizational structure, activities and current approach to watershed management have been investigated. Four case studies of the approach and practices of watershed management in Iran and abroad were also mentioned (two internal samples and two external). The historic course of watershed management in Iran indicates that signs of changing approach are ongoing from a traditional mechanical to the systemic management approach. As a general conclusion for improving integrated management of watersheds in Iran, some suggestions were offered as follow: improving the current organizational structure of watershed management and establishing committees called watershed council, considering the scale of the watershed, applying a united and appropriate watershed management model, shifting the attitudes from technical engineering to managerial approaches toward the nature of watershed management, watershed participatory governance and establishing an unitary and coherent organizational structure.
Amin Salehpour Jam; Mahmoudreza Tabatabaei; Amir Sarreshtehdari; Jamal Mosaffaie
Abstract
Investigation of drought event has a great importance in the natural resources management and planning water resources management. In this research, the drought characteristics in the selected synoptic stations in northwest of Iran, including Ardebil, Khoy, Oroomieh, Tabriz, Zanjan, Sanandaj and Saghez ...
Read More
Investigation of drought event has a great importance in the natural resources management and planning water resources management. In this research, the drought characteristics in the selected synoptic stations in northwest of Iran, including Ardebil, Khoy, Oroomieh, Tabriz, Zanjan, Sanandaj and Saghez were investigated using the Deciles Index. First, after rebuilding monthly missing data in the period of 1977-2014, time series of precipitation in each station normalized using Box-Cox Transformation. Then, the Deciles Index in different time scales of monthly, seasonal and yearly was calculated based on the normalized monthly precipitation of stations in the period of 1977-2014 by MATLAB and DIP softwares. Then, the drought characteristics, including intensity, duration and frequency were calculated in each synoptic station. In this research, to find the trend of precipitation in the 38 years, 1977-2014, First, trends of the selected stations were determined using Mann-Kendall trend test at the different time scales of the 19 year period, 1977-1995, then compared with trend of the 38 years and finally, determined the changes of the mean precipitation values in two subsequent periods, 1977-1995 and 1996-2014. Obtained results show that the mean annual precipitation at the all stations was decreased in the second period than base period. The results also show that the drought occurrence with different intensity, duration and frequency occurred in selected synoptic stations in northwest of Iran. The results also indicate that there is the decreasing trend of precipitation at the synoptic stations of Saghez and Sanandaj in yearly time scales. Although the stations of Saghez and Zanjan have no trend in the period of 1977-1995, they have decreasing and increasing trends in some time scales in the period of 1977-2014.
Amin Salehpour Jam; Amir Sarreshtehdari; Mahmoudreza Tabatabaei
Abstract
Consciousness of preventing factors affecting on stakeholder participation in watershed areas' plans is a main principle in realization of effective participation of stakeholder and obtaining integrated watershed management goals. There are twelve watershed areas surrounding the city of Tehran that their ...
Read More
Consciousness of preventing factors affecting on stakeholder participation in watershed areas' plans is a main principle in realization of effective participation of stakeholder and obtaining integrated watershed management goals. There are twelve watershed areas surrounding the city of Tehran that their runoff influence on northern and northeast parts of Tehran. Different factors can prevent stakeholder' participation that they have been classified into economic, social, human and planning indices. Obtained results from prioritizing effective indices on preventing stakeholder' participation in watershed plans based on obtained weights from Fuzzy-AHP method and questionary data obtained from Administration of Natural Resources and Watershed Management and its branches indicate that economic and human indices have respectively maximum and minimum priorities, in the manner that prioritization of indices based on normalized weights from maximum to minimum importance are economic, planning, social and finally human, respectively. In this research, preventing sub-indices affecting on stakeholder' participation in watershed area´s plans were created based on library studies, expert ideas and also interviewing with 240 residences and finally the validity of questionary was verified based on expert ideas. Obtained results with ranking sub-indices based on the Friedman test show that sub-indices have different roles in preventing stakeholder' participation in watershed plans, in the manner that “ignoring people´s income as a direct economic motivation” with mean rank of 10.77 and “being low literacy and knowledge” with mean rank of 1.80 have a maximum and minimum of mean rank, respectively. In this research, sub-indices of “ignoring people´s income as a direct economic motivation” from economic index, “concentration of decision making power in center” from planning index, “shortage of trust to project results” from social index and finally “shortage of education of watershed residents about plants and their purposes” from human index were ranked as the most important sub-indices.
