Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Professor, Department of Watershed Management Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran
2 PhD Student Department of Watershed Management Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of Range Land and Watershed Management, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran
4 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Agricultural and Natural Resources, Arak University
Abstract
Today, land degradation is inevitable due to growing population and corresponding demands, and also economic development, unscientific and illogical utilization of resources. Monitoring and identification of factors affecting is therefore essential for controlling and management of land degradation in an area. However, such important issues have been less considered by experts and managers. To this end, the present study aimed to analyze the trend and identifying the important affecting factors on land degradation in the Shazand Watershed, Iran, based on the Environmental Sensitive Area Index (ESAI) for significant changes due to a variety of uses, management and industrial development from 1986 to 2014. According to the ESAI maps in five year nodes of 1986, 1998, 2008 and 2014, some 16.56, 33.39, 42.32 and 49.52 percent of the study area were in critical condition of land degradation, respectively. Based on the results, the process of land degradation in the region was increasing and land degradation was considerable in the periods leading up to 1998 and 2014. The sensitivity analysis on factors influencing land degradation in the study area also revealed that the role of vegetation, anthropogenic and managerial factors on ESAI changes were more than other factors and therefore could moderate or intensify the land degradation.
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