Environmental Sciences
Year:2010 | Volume:7 | Issue:4|Papers Count:18

This research was performed with the aim of providing a quantitative strategic plan for ecotourism development in Mond Protected Area, Booshehr Province. Therefore, as a first step, Mond Protected Area’s zones were identified using the Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE) method and valuation and analysis of the region’s ecotourism demand index was performed through completing Clawson questionnaires in the form of Travel Cost Method (TCM). Results of this investigation showed that the forecasted outdoor recreational value of Mond Protected Area was equal to 5, 698, 250, 000 Rials per month during the period of study. For the purpose of collection and presentation of quantitative strategies for ecotourism development in Mond Protected Area, we used the Freeman strategic planning matrix method known as the "interested party matrix". To this purpose, internal factors (Strengths and Weaknesses) and external factors (Opportunities and Threats) in study area were identified and evaluated. Finally, the Freeman matrix was completed on the basis of economic, social, cultural and ecological priorities in the study area and by loading each development alternatives, three strategies were recommended of which the strategy "attraction of investment in private sector via giving bank facilities with long term return period, with +77 score" is in the position of high important strategy of ecotourism development in study area.

Sikan River is one of the end branches flowing from Saymareh River. 57% of agricultural land in Dareshaher are located in the environs of this river.  In view of the consumption of 1343 tons of chemical fertilizers per year, the effluents from this land can influence the quality of river water. With a view to providing basic management strategies, the seasonal variations in water quality were evaluated. In this way, the quality characteristics of river water which may be influenced by wastewater, was measured in four seasons throughout the year. The NH3 ranged from 0.53 to 0.55 mg/lit in spring-summer and 0.19-0.26 mg/lit in autumn-winter which is higher than the drinking water guidelines value for spring-summer, namely <0.3. The nitrate content was within the permissible range for potable water, and varied from 3.7 to 7.3 mg/lit in autumn and summer, respectively. The levels of phosphate in the river varied between 0.007 and 0.032 mg PO4 as P/lit in winter and summer, respectively, which is the standard level for P in water system to prevent eutrophication-related problems, i.e. <0.035 mgP/lit. The sulfate concentration was higher than the recommendation standard of 250 mg/lit in autumn. DO and COD levels were completely acceptable. In sum, the related agricultural activities justify the relative increase of mentioned parameter in summer.

The purpose of this study is to identify the occurrence of drought events and short-term dry periods in Iranshahr region. The standardized precipitation values are applied for detecting drought in Iranshahr region for the period of 1980-2006. For recognition of short duration dry periods, a Markov chain model was used. The daily data were classified into two groups; wet days (precipitation equal or more than 0.1mm) and dry days (precipitation less than 0.1mm). The frequency of wet and dry periods and the probabilities of the duration of each wet and dry period and its return periods were calculated. The analysis of droughts has shown that the frequency of drought periods in the initial years of statistical period is fewer and that they have less regularity. After 1998, not only the drought frequency but also its intensity and duration is increased. The probability of two successive wet or dry days, the differences of simple and climatic probabilities of wet and dry days was determined. The results showing that significant differences do not exist between simple and climatic probabilities of wet and dry short duration periods. The frequency of dry days is observed in all months. The monthly average of dry duration is 25 or more days.

Most air pollutant dispersion models are analytical models that do not consider the spatial variation of wind velocity and diffusivity coefficient. To obtain an analytical model by considering the spatial variation of wind velocity and diffusivity coefficient, some simplifying assumptions must be made; in addition, the analytical solution is more complicated and less accurate. In this study, by solving the advection-dispersion equation for a steady and elevated pollutant stack, the spatial variation of the wind velocity and diffusivity coefficient is considered and the 2-dimensional distribution of the pollutant concentration is calculated. The model could be applied for both stable and unstable conditions. The advection-dispersion equation has been solved using the finite difference method. The proposed model has been validated using other researcher's experiments data and existing analytical models. The results show a good level of accuracy for the model.

Since soil moisture and vegetation cover are the most important parameters effecting drought, analyses of the vegetation fraction and soil spectral signature, especially in the red and infra red bands, are essential in drought estimation. In this study, the Perpendicular Drought Index (PDI), Modified Perpendicular Drought Index (MPDI) and Vegetation Supply Water Index (VSWI) have been used for drought assessment in arid regions in Central Iran during a time interval of four years (1999-2002). To do this, ETM+ images of LANDSAT 7 for the years 1999 and 2002 and the rainfall statistics for 23 years have been used. Analysis of vegetation cover using vegetation indices demonstrated that in arid regions, changes in vegetation cover were best mapped using a SAVI2 index. The results of MPDI indicated that drought has increased in the rangelands of the study area because of a decrease in seeding of the rangeland and vegetation fraction. PDI showed that the severity of the drought has decreased due to an increase in rainfall in 2002.

In addition to the abundance and population fluctuation of the common species, the fauna of syrphid flies of the northern parts of Ilam Province were studied during the period 2003-2004.  In total, 30 species of syrphids including 21 predatory species, 8 saprophages species and one phytophagus species were identified. All species are first records from Ilam Province. The results of population abundance obtained from Malaise traps during 2004 indicated that Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer), Eupeodes corollae (Fabricius) and Scaeva albomaculata (Macquart) are among the most frequently occurring species and also important predators of aphids in this region. The population fluctuation of these three species showed that the highest population levels of adults occur in early spring.

Attempts to prepare a national spatial plan over the previous 35 years have always met problems and challenges. Experience of spatial planning in Iran (often at national level) has encountered events and decision taking through concepts, theories, techniques, producers, processes, organizations and logic that have sometimes led to improvement in this work and at other times deviated it from its correct path. This research aims to analyse and evaluate spatial planning through a process of planning point of view and, in this way, focuses on concepts, organizations and current rules in Iran’s planning system to understand some of present challenges and make recommendation for confronting them. According to the research outcomes, major reasons for the failure of Iran’s spatial plans are found in the conceptual, organizational and logical contexts. It is therefore not expected that spatial planning recommendations would be operational, because of incorrect presumptions and poor recognition that surround the spatial planning issue as well as some independent and obligatory rules, unstable and imprecise organizational arrangements, and the existence of a dominant sectorial view of long-term economic development planning.

This study focuses on the identification, classification and encoding of hazardous generational wastes aimed at running a comprehensive waste management, on an RCRA basis, in the greatest Middle East oil unit at Ahvaz Karun Oil and Gas production unit no.02. To achieve such a purpose, a 154- test questionnaire analysis, drawings of units, standard experiments, comparison of the chemicals found in the wastes with 8 lists of hazardous materials available in standard international checklists and determination of the number of materials available per checklist have been put into practice. The results of this research undertaken for the first time in Iran, reveals that: 33 kinds of toxic hazardous wastes, five kinds of non-hazardous materials and 25 types of as yet unproven wastes were detected; among these, 3 kinds of them were placed in acute hazardous wastes, four in toxic hazardous wastes, 4 in hazardous wastes from definite sources, 8 in priority toxic materials, 6 on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) checklist and 10 in the toxic TCLP toxic checklist. Six heavy metals, namely nickel, lead, zinc, copper, chromium and cadmium, are categorized as toxic materials. Finally, waste water centrifugation was recommended to prevent the factory offshore soil becoming polluted with hazardous materials and bioremediation to purify the contaminated soils; the final waste management for each group of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes was determined.

Experiments were conducted to investigate herbicide resistance in wild oat, canary grass, rye grass, and barnyard grass that were collected from Khuzestan, Fars, Markazi, Golestan, Kermanshah, Azarbayjan, Gilan and Mazandaran Provinces during 2004 to 2008. From among 333 collected weed biotypes collected, 319 weed biotypes were suspected to be resistant to and 14 to be susceptible to herbicides. It was found that 182 wild oat biotypes, 61 canary grass biotypes and 14 ryegrasses out of the collected biotypes showed resistance to acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibiting herbicides (including Clodinafop-propargyl, fenoxaprop P ethyl and Diclofop methyl) and 76 weed biotypes showed suspected resistance or resistance to Propanil, Butachlor, Molinate and Thiobenkarb herbicides. The results indicated that 82 biotypes out of 333 biotypes (26%) collected from 92 fields (525 ha) showed resistance, 99 biotypes (30%) collected from 86 fields (625 ha) were tolerant and 152 biotypes (46%) collected from 68 fields (498 ha) did not show any herbicide resistance. Based on the number of resistant samples, the fields or field area was 298%, 283% and 203% respectively in 2008 as compared to 2005. It is incontrovertible that the number of infested fields to resistant weed biotypes is increasing and serious intensification was reported in the cases of wild oat, canary grass and rye grass, respectively. It was also reported that the maximum frequency, area and the number of infested fields to resistant wild oat was detected in Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Fars, Golestan and Ilam Provinces. The maximum frequency, area and the number of infested fields to resistant canary grass was found in Khuzestan, Golestan and Fars Provinces.

Research aimed at showing element weight used fuzzy sets because of the limitation on the use of numbers. The benefit of this theory includes the range of numbers with an accompanying possibility of the degree of landslide that can be used instead of one number. Thus, when the fuzzy collections theory is used for presenting weight factor, certainly a number is cannot determined for weight, but the only possible correct numbers provided more than other numbers may be close to correct its intended. The aim of this study was to supply landslide hazard zoning using gamma fuzzy operator in Haraz watershed. To achieve this objective, each factor having an impact on landslide occurrence - such as slope, aspect, elevation, lithology, land use, distance of road, distance of drainage, distance of fault and precipitation – were digitally mapped in a GIS environment. Landslide points were recognized using air photography and extensive field study and the level of correlation between each effective parameter in landslide occurrence with landslide points was determined using the frequency ratio model; fuzzy values were then determined using scientific ideas and a fuzzy membership function was obtained for each effective parameter in an Idrisi software environment. In this research for analysis we used different values of gamma. The results showed a gamma fuzzy operator with value  l=0.975 had best accuracy in making a landslide hazard susceptibility map in study area.

Due to increased environmental problems, most countries in the world charge a specified agency with responsibility for environmental protection. In Iran, this mission has been given to the Department of Environment (DoE). Notwithstanding the silent endeavors of this Department, there are a lot of problems which are causing a deteriorating environment in Iran, particularly in terms of air, water and biological diversity. Inefficiency in the legislative system alongside the disorganization of the DoE, have led to inadequacy in the Department’s work. This inadequacy can be classed in three categories: law-related inefficiency of the Department; a lack of law governing inter-organizational relations; and, finally, ultra-organizational problems. These inefficiencies, in the absence of any comprehensive sustainable development programme, on the one hand, and the non-existence of any parliamentary supervision on environmental matters, on the other, have led to non-integrated and ineffective management of the environment in Iran. This article considers the integrated management approach as a suggested solution, inter alia by amending and incorporating the environmental laws into a single code and also by integrating environmental related agencies, including the DoE, in the form of a powerful Ministry.

The amount of municipal waste leachate produced during the process of composting of solid waste refuse is high, due to its higher moisture content. Therefore, improper collection methods and uses can cause environmental problems. This study was conducted in order to investigate the effect of municipal soild waste compost  leachate (MSWC leachate) on yield and yield components of wheat (Triticum aestivum) with four irrigation treatments of different leachate-to-water ratios (T0=water, T20=20%,T40=40%, T60=60% V/V basis) in a completely randomized design with three replications under greenhouse conditions. Results obtained indicate the significant effect of different leachate to water ratios on ECe, pH, TN, available P and OC of soil, yield and yield components of wheat. ECe, TN, available P and OC of soil increased, but the soil pH decreased with MSWC leachate concentrations and the maximum was recorded for the T60 treatment. The number of grains per spike (more than 1.4 times), plant height (13.8%), grain weight per spike (more than 1.6 times), grain and straw yields (more than 1.5 and 1.6 times, respectively), and the ratio of grain weight to straw weight in a leachate-to-water ratio of 20/80 (T20) treatment increased when compared to their respective controls and the other treatments (p≤0.05). Spike length and 1000 grain weight in a leachate-to-water ratio of 20/80 (T20) treatment were not significantly different from their respective controls. Increasing the leachate concentrations to more than 20%, reduced yield and yield components of wheat compared to control, probably due to a soil salinity increase and its negative impacts on the parameters studied (p≤0.05).

The current research has been designed to revive the natural landscape of Khoshk River as an alive and dynamic ecosystem of Shiraz city. In the revitalization process of this natural landscape, first the current status of the river bed have been studied and analyzed through recognizing its strengths, weaknesses, potentials and threats. Then, with an emphasis on sustainable landscape design principles in natural landscapes that emphasize the protection of natural resources, designs that show the ecological, cultural and social beauty of this natural landscape of Khoshk River and suggestions for organizing it have been presented. These suggestions emphasize the importance of protecting the airspace above the river bed in order to promote acceptance by migratory birds, eliminating incompatible developments such as the Namazi Hospital and Shiraz water refinery and constructing a water and soil dam in order to store water in low rainfall seasons and design the margins of the natural landscape of Khoshk River.

Considering ecotourism as a spatial pattern is common in our contemporary world. From the bioenvironmental point of view, ecotourism maintains the environment and, from the economical viewpoint, it leads to economic dynamism in the local community by providing employment and income. Thus, recognizing the potentials and approaches toward developing natural tourism in different geographical regions is extremely significant. In this regard, the present study deals with assessment of the natural tourism potential of the Sistan area. This research aims at assessing the attractiveness of the ecotourism sites in Sistan, recognizing its ecotourism spatial development potentials, and determining approaches for reinforcing ecotourism at the regional level. This study employs a descriptive, analytical and survey method using 14 indexes, using the "cluster analysis" model. The findings show that the Chahnimeh natural wells of Sistan, Hamoon Lake and Khaje Mountain are the most attractive ones on the basis of attracting ecotourism because of enjoying high potentials (highly attractive). Kuhak dam, the forest Park of Jazinak, Hirmand River, Sistan dam and Zahak dam are all at the second level (middle attractive) because of the lack of cultural capacities, residential facilities, tasty and drinkable water. Finally, the desert landscape of Sistan is at the lowest level (low attractive) due to a lack of natural resources, limited environmental attractiveness, shortage of recreational equipment and the low level of accessibility and security. Therefore, considering developing the potentials of each area and providing appropriate facilities and equipment, the priority of spatial development can be put as low attractive, middle attractive and high attractive, respectively.