Environmental Sciences
Year:2016 | Volume:14 | Issue:3 |Papers Count:18

Introduction: The phenomenon of deforestation is considered seriously by researchers as one of the most important issues in forest management. So far, many efforts have been made to identify the causes of deforestation and effective solutions have been proposed to reduce it. This study aimed to identify and prioritize the causes of deforestation of the Hyrcanian forests in northern Iran. The results of this research can provide a basis for understanding the conditions facing Hyrcanian forest management and help managers to make more detailed plans.Material and methods: In this research, group decision making was used to identify and rank the causes of deforestation. For this purpose, two types of questionnaires were designed. The first questionnaire was used to identify causes of deforestation of Hyrcanian forest while the second questionnaire was developed with the aim of Pairwise comparisons. The data obtained from the second questionnaire was used to rank the causes of deforestation in the Hyrcanian forests using the AHP, TOPSIS, ELECTRE III and SAW methods. Finally, to achieve accurate ranking, the final ranking was done using integration methods.Results and discussion: The results showed that the weight of anthropogenic deforestation causes is much greater than the weight of natural deforestation causes; the weight of anthropogenic destruction factors was much more than natural factors. This shows that a large percentage of forest destruction in Hyrcanian forest is result of mismanagement of this forest and many human destruction factors can be stopped or modified and, while the natural factors are lower and under control, those effects can also be modified. Among the human causes of deforestation, illegal timber harvesting, invasion of forests, livestock grazing in forests and timber harvesting were the most important causes of deforestation according to forestry projects. After these factors, harvesting of wood for fuel, arson or spontaneous fires, early replacement of management and non-systematic exploitation of forests and construction development activities (road construction) were the main causes of deforestation in Hyrcanian forests.The most important of these deforestation causes were pests and spontaneous fires, respectively. In all four ranking methods (AHP, TOPSIS, ELECTRE III and SAW) ranked first to fourth respectively invasion of forested areas, The presence of livestock in the forest, illegally harvesting of wood from the forest and harvest wood as fuel, respectively. This indicates that these factors’ ranks have high stability and the total weight of each of these factors is high compared to the next factor, which means the impact of these factors on the destruction of the Hyrcanian forest is important.Conclusion: The results showed that success in the Hyrcanian forest protection plans depends on the cooperation of local and indigenous communities; because many of the environmental threats that cause destruction of the forests are the result of human activities, the success in most natural resource-related and the environmental projects depends on economic and social situations associated with the local and indigenous community living in the region.

Introduction: Natural resources are basic resources that play a fundamental role in the economy of any country and are considered among the important tools for sustainable development. Excessive exploitation of resources introduces substantial quantities of waste into the environment. Studies show that unmanaged waste disposal is the main cause of environmental problems. Any effective management programme for controlling waste includes reduced waste production, reuse, and recycling (the '3Rs'). In this relation, children have a constructive role to play through participating in such management programmes because they are responsible for protecting the Earth. Education is a vital element for increasing children’s participation in environmental protection. This applied research was conducted to determine the role played by non-formal education in increasing children’s awareness concerning less waste production, reuse, and waste recycling.Materials and methods: This was an applied research study in which the quasi-experimental research method was employed and it was carried out using a pre-test/post-test design involving control and experimental groups. The statistical population consisted of girls and boys in the sixth grade of two elementary schools, and a prepared questionnaire was employed as the tool for measuring the students’ information and awareness concerning the methods for producing less waste, reuse, and recycling before and after the educational programme. Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by relevant experts and its reliability by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.8. The students were taught topics on resources available in the world, the scarcity of these resources, and the methods for less waste production, reuse, and recycling. The obtained data was analyzed for the independent groups using Levene’s test and T-test.Results and discussion: Results indicated that there is a significant difference in the girls’ mean awareness concerning less use and less waste production before and after the educational programme. Before the educational programme, the level of awareness in the pre-test group was 1.71 but, after training, it became 2.30 in the post-test group. For the boys, their level awareness in this regard also increased, from 2 in the pre-test group to 2.88 in the post-test group. Concerning reuse, the awareness level of the girls increased from 2.63 in the pre-test group to 3.59 in the post-test group and the awareness level of the boys also increased from 2.45 in the pre-test group to 3.45 in the post-test group. The results about waste recycling show that the awareness levels of the girls rose from 0.52 in the pre-test group to 0.79 in the post-test group and, with regard to the boys, results indicated that their awareness level in this regard in the pre-test group was 0.41 while, after the educational programme it became 0.82. Overall, awareness levels of the girls and boys concerning the subjects taught increased after the educational programme. However, the awareness level of the boys in this regard increased more compared to that of the girls. In addition, the awareness levels of all the students (girls and boys) concerning the subject of reuse, increased more compared to that of the other subjects, namely less use, less waste production and waste recycling.Conclusion: According to the results, the researchers suggest that geographical conditions in the various cities of Iran be considered in teaching the 3Rs to students, and information related to this management strategy be provided to students through showing films related to the subject and by using cartoons, posters, competitive games, and through teaching in the natural environment. In fact, these materials must be prepared as an amusement for the children in order to arouse their interest.

Introduction: Iran is located in an arid and semiarid region that is vulnerable to environmental changes. So, it would appear that the occurrence of climate change in this region would have a significant impact on agricultural production systems (Eyshi Rezaie and Bannayan, 2012). Climate change might affect the water available for agriculture and, consequently, lead to drought occurring in semiarid areas (Koocheki et al., 2006). Evaluating adaptation strategies, such as changing the planting of dates, can help to increase maize water use efficiency under climate change conditions (Ramprasad et al., 2016). One of the cheapest ways to measure the effects of climate change on agricultural production is through a modelling approach and application of simulation models (Manschadi et al., 2010).Materials and methods: This study aims at investigating the sowing date as a strategy for maize adaptation and improving its water use efficiency under climate change conditions in Khuzestan Province. For this purpose, six locations in Khuzestan Province were selected (Ahwaz, Behbahan, Dezful, Izeh, Ramhormoz and Shushtar). Daily long-term climatic data including minimum and maximum temperatures, rainfall and global radiation in a baseline period (1980-2010) were collected for these locations from their meteorological stations. Then, daily long- term climatic data were generated for the future period of 2040-2069 in these locations by using a method proposed by AgMIP under two climate scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). In this study, the SC704 cultivar was used. Taking into account three sowing dates (4 February, 19 February [a common sowing date] and 5h March), six locations, and two climate scenarios over 30 years, a total of 1620 simulation experiments were carried out in this study. In order to simulate the growth and yield of maize under different sowing dates, the APSIM model was applied.Results and discussion: Results indicated that early sowing date (4 February) with 10117.1 kg ha-1 had a higher economical grain yield compared to 19 February (10061.3 kg ha-1) and 5 March (7194.6 kg ha-1). Also, in the future period, the reduction percentage in economical grain yield at the different sowing dates compared to the baseline common planting date (19 February) showed that the early sowing date of 4 February recorded less reduction (-3.3 and -4.5 percent under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively) than 19 February (-6.5 and -6.7 percent under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively) and 5st March (-31.1 and -23.2 percent under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively). On average in Khuzestan Province, an early sowing date indicated higher water use efficiency (WUE)) 11.8 kg ha-1 mm-1) compared to 19 February (10.7 kg ha-1 mm-1) and 5 March (7.6 kg ha-1 mm-1) in the baseline period. However, under climate change conditions, reduction of WUE in different planting dates compared to the baseline common sowing date (19 February) revealed that 4 February (2.8 and 3.3 percent under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively) was superior compared with 19 February (-12 and -11 percent under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively) and 5 March (-40.1 and -32.5 percent under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively) in term of WUE in Khuzestan Province.Conclusion: In general, according to the results found the common sowing date of maize in Khuzestan is not optimal for maize in terms of water use efficiency and economical grain yield. Accordingly, to increase economical grain yield and water use efficiency in both the future and baseline periods at Khuzestan Province, farmers should choose the early sowing date (4 February) compared to the common and late ones.

Introduction: Protected areas have long been considered an important tool in maintaining the integrity of habitat and species diversity. A proper understanding of the risk factors and the importance of protected areas and their effects can provide a better grounded context for preventing and dealing with these factors as well as plan and managed protected areas.Methods and materials: This study was conducted in 2015 for the environmental risk evaluation of Dena Protected Area in Sisakht county, on the basis of multi- criteria decision- making (TOPSIS) methods. Dena Protected Area, which is located in Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad province, is one of the richest areas in the country in terms of biodiversity and covers an area of about 93, 780 hectares. In order to identify risks in the region, according to reports, field visits, interviews with experts and environmentalists and the basic information about the area, the primary risks were identified and, with the help of the Delphi questionnaire technique based on the Likert scale, the final risks facing the region were identified. Then the TOPSIS method was used to analyze and prioritize the risks identified. Using the TOPSIS method, the risks were prioritized based on three criteria (severity, probability and sensitivity of the receptors). According to the concept of ALARP, the studied risks were divided into high risk, medium risk and low risk levels. In this study, due to the number and length of categories, the risks under study were classified under five levels of risk, namely intolerable, significant, intermediate, tolerable and inconsiderable risks.Results and discussion: In the first phase, 26 risks were identified and, finally, based on the Delphi method 18 risks were identified in the two groups of natural disasters and environmental risks (physical, biological, socio-economic and cultural risks). Analysis and prioritizing of the identified risks showed that illegal hunting was the first priority with a Proximity Coefficient of 0.905 and release of waste resulting from the presence of tourists was the least priority with a Proximity Coefficient 0.212. Based on the ranking of risks in Dena Protected Area, 11.11 percent of risks were placed in the unbearable category, 27.8 percent risks in the significant category, 16.7 percent risks in the average category, 22.2 percent and 22.2 percent risks in the category of tolerable risks were minor in this category. The main risks in the environmental sector, which covers physical, biological, socio- economic and cultural sectors, which posed the highest threat to Dena protected area were: illegal hunting under the socio- economic sector; eradication of drug crops and pasture in the biological sector; lack of support from the rangers in the country's judicial system in the cultural sector; and impacts of destructive agricultural practices of local farmers in the physical sector. Also, in the natural environmental risk sector, erosion was identified as the most important risk. Finally, management strategies to control and reduce the risks were presented.Conclusion: Results showed that the study area is not in a good condition as the result of the current management plan. It seems the best option to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem integrity is an ecosystem- based approach to integrated management and human society; if education and an explanation of these objectives be provided for the residents of the region, this can reach its goals more quickly.

Introduction: Drought, UV radiation and increased carbon dioxide concentrations are the most important abiotic stress factors threatening human food security. In the recent decades, several studies have been carried out for understanding the individual effect of each of these factors on crop growth and production. However, there is no comprehensive study encompassing the interaction between these factors on qualitative and quantitative traits of canola. Accordingly, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the role of irrigation levels, CO2 concentration levels and ultraviolet levels on two autumn cultivars of canola.Material and methods: the experiment was carried out as a Randomized Complete Block Design with a Factorial arrangement with three replications in 2013. The factors in this study included the two cultivars 'Okapi' and 'Talaye' and the irrigation strategy had two levels: normal irrigation as the control and drought stress from the flowering stage to physiological maturity (irrigation on base 60 percent of field capacity). CO2 concentration was allotted at two levels, namely ambient (400 mmol mol-1) and enriched (900 μmol mol-1) carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and ultraviolet radiation at three levels as follows: ultraviolet-A radiation (18mWcm-2 intensity), ultraviolet-B radiation (25mWcm-2 intensity) and ultraviolet-C radiation (40mWcm-2 intensity) respectively. In this study, the number of pods per plant, number of grains per pod, one thousand grain weight, grain yield and oil yield, flavonoid pigment, anthocyanin pigment and fluorescence were all determined.Results and discussion: The results showed that irrigation strategy significantly affected all the studied traits except for oil yield. Water stress significantly decreased the number of siliques per plant, number of seeds per silique, 1000-seed weight, the final yield and fluorescence but increased flavonoid and anthocyanin pigments. An increase in the CO2 level was not significant on silique number per plant, flavonoid and anthocyanin content but it significantly increased seed weight, final yield, oil yield and fluorescence in plants. The effect of UV radiation was significant on all studied traits, and UV radiation decreased all of the traits in this experiment except for flavonoid and anthocyanin pigments. Triple interaction between experimental factors was significant on seed yield and oil yield at 0.01 and 0.05 probability levels, respectively. Comparison of means indicated that either under full irrigation conditions or water stress conditions the maximum seed yield was related to 900 ppm CO2 and UVA treatment.Conclusion: Overall, elevated CO2 could ameliorate the adverse effects of UV radiation in 1000-seed weight, the final yield, oil yield and fluorescence and improve these traits.

Introduction: Given the increasing crisis of water resource constraints, the proper management of water resources is indispensable for increasing water use efficiency, especially in the agricultural sector which has the highest water consumption (Perez-Blanco and Gomez, 2014). In fact, water resource management considers the main core of strategies to conserve water resources (Hu et al., 2014). Due to the importance of this issue, various studies have been undertaken in this respect such as those by Shahsavari (2014), Nori et al. (2014), Amirkhani et al. (2011), Mohammadi et al. (2009), Rezadoost and Allahyari (2014), Kulmatov (2014), Khalili (2012) and Panahi and Malekmohammadi (2010). Accordingly, the purpose of this research was to study the factors affecting the implementation of actions related to sustainable management of water resources among farmers in Komijan County, Markazi Province.Materials and methods: The statistical population for the research consisted of all agricultural households in the rural areas of Komijan County, of which a sample size of 300 was selected using a multiple stage sampling technique. Data was collected using a research-made questionnaire. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of experts and the construct validity and reliability of the research instrument were confirmed through examining model fit at the three levels of the measurement model, structural model and overall model. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) multivariate technique (Partial Least Squares) was used to analyze data and for this purpose, and SPSS and Smart PLS software were applied.Results and discussion: In this study, after confirming the fit of the measurement model, the structural model for research was fitted based on two indices, R2 (representing the effect of exogenous latent variables on endogenous) and Q2 (indicating the predictive power of the model). The results indicated that the values of the two indices R2 and Q2 were at appropriate levels for the second order endogenous latent variable (namely, implementation of actions related to sustainable water resource management) as well as five first order endogenous latent variables (that is, technical actions, farming actions, technological actions, control actions and reconstruction actions); this showed that the structural model had a suitable fit. Accordingly, the research hypotheses were tested based on that model. The results of the descriptive statistics showed that the mean age and farming experience of the farmers surveyed were at high levels (54.21 and 28.9 years, respectively) and, in contrast, their educational level was low (81.7 percent less than diploma). The main water resources of the farmers were semi-deep wells, aqueducts and deep wells with a frequency of 43, 28.3 and 21 percent, respectively; 7.6 percent of them used a combination of an aqueduct with at least one other source. The majority of farmers (89.3 percent) used the flood irrigation system and a small number of farmers used new irrigation methods. The results showed that the majority of farmers (90.4 percent) implemented actions related to the sustainable management of water resources at medium and low levels. The results also revealed that the variables for extension related factors (p-value=0.01, b=0.203), educational factors (p-value=0.01, b=0.229), participatory factors (p-value=0.01, b=0.223) and supportive factors (p-value=0.01, b=0.220) all had a positive and significant effect on the dependent variable. In general, these four variables explained about 41.1 percent of variances in implementation of actions related to sustainable management of water resources among farmers.Conclusion: According to the results, we could note that the sustainable management of agricultural water resources requires a multifaceted approach and it consists of a series of technical actions, farming actions, technological actions, control actions and reconstruction actions. Taking a one- dimensional look at the question and the lack of systematic approach can significantly lead to a reduction in the effectiveness of agricultural water resource management programmes.

Background and objective: The growth of social networks has led to new applications in education including formal, informal and implicit (visual, auditory and written) training that has to be defined for these tools. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of using Instagram on promoting the environmental literacy of students. Given that environmental literacy has broad dimensions and ranges, to limit the issue only the main aspects of environmental literacy that include knowledge, attitude and environmental behaviour have been studied in this research. The importance of this research is that it familiarizes policymakers in environmental education with the impact of Instagram as among the ICT-based social networks for environmental education and promotion of the environmental literacy of the students who form an influential stratum of society. It also can be the basis for similar investigations in future studies aimed at examining the effects of social networks and different media, and their results can be used to optimize the future planning of this filed.Materials and methods: In terms of its purpose, this research is practical while, in terms of the data collection method, it is quasi- experimental with pre-test, post-test and control groups. The study sample included 40 students from Payam e Noor University of Markazi Province selected by the covariance sampling method and randomly assigned into the study and control groups. At first, both groups took the pre-test. Afterwards, the necessary training based on the United Nations Environment Programme (2015) and the situation and culture of the country was provided in the form of video posts on the specially created Instagram page, along with the written descriptions in the period of 4 December h to 4 February 2015. After 3 months, in order to measure the effect of the environmental training sessions provided through Instagram, the students took the post- test. The data have been analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and SPSS software.Results and discussion: According to the results of the covariance analysis test and with respect to the fact that the significance level of the test in all the three variables of knowledge, attitude and environmental behaviour was 0.001 which is lower than 0.05, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between the three variables in the pre- and post-tests; it indicates the impact of environmental education with the help of Instagram on these three dimensions and on the promotion of the students' environmental literacy. The mean comparison of the pre- and post-test results has shown that the mean variable of the post-test compared to that of the pre-test was higher in all the three variables. Also, the results of the post hoc test have shown that the mean of the Instagram group was higher than the mean of the control group for all three variables. The effect of training through Instagram for the variables of knowledge, attitude and environmental behaviour of the study group were, respectively, 0.474, 0.660 and 0.391.Conclusion: Environmental education through Instagram has a positive and significant effect on all the three dimensions of students' environmental literacy. Respectively, about 4%, 66% and 40% of the variance of knowledge, attitude and environmental behaviour of the study group can be explained exclusively by applying the training method (environmental education via Instagram).

Introduction: Increasing pollution in water and soil has caused large environmental problems. The contamination of soil and water resources with various organic and inorganic compounds is important because of the close relationship between living organisms and nutrition, in terms both of environmental and human health, due to their direct involvement in supplying food for living organisms. This study was done with the purpose of introducing and investigating rangeland plants, namely Stipagrostis plumosa, Calotropis procera and Medicago sativa, under two types of treatments- urban waste compost and biochar- at three levels (0, 1 and 2 percentage) under greenhouse conditions for the remediation of contaminated soils with heavy metal Ni.Materials and methods: The soils used in this study were collected from the traditional petroleum-contaminated Pazanan in Gachsaran. This experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with 5 replications. After a six-month planting period, the aerial and underground parts of plants have collected and some soil important characteristics and plant morphological properties and metals were measured. ICP-OES was used for Ni measurement. For statistical analysis of the measured data, an analysis of variance was applied using SPSS software with comparison of data from the Duncan test. The translocation factor, remediation factor and biological aggregation factor were all addressed for assessment of the plants’ potential.Results and discussion: Results showed that the amount of TF Ni in S. plumose was greater and the translocation factor higher than one and significantly greater than for C. procera and M.sativa. According to this result, the amount of TF in S. plumosa is greater than one, as S. plumosa with phyto- extraction can be attracted during the procedure and the extraction of nickel from the soil. C. procera had the highest RF for nickel under the biochar 1 and 2 percentage treatment with a rate of 0.08, when the least amount of RF was found for S. plumosa and the control sample with rate 0.02. Results showed that Biochar and urban waste compost treatments increase both soil pH and EC compared to the control treatment. The results indicated that biochar 2% has the highest amounts of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus among all treatments. Mean comparison showed that the 2% urban waste compost treatment had the highest percentage of organic carbon and the control treatment showed the lowest percentage of soil organic carbon. Mean comparison indicated that CEC in the biochar 2% treatment was the highest and in the control treatment was the lowest. The results indicated that the effects of treatments on morphological characteristics are significant, the treatments used in this study having increased the stem length, root length, root volume, root dry weight, shoot dry weight and total dry weight compared to the control treatment. Generally speaking, the biochar 2 % treatment led to the highest root length, stem length, root volume, root dry weight, shoot dry weight and total dry weight.Conclusion: Generally, S. plumosa is an appropriate plant for absorbing and extracting Ni through phyto-extraction, while the biochar 2% treatment demonstrated the highest effect on promoting the phyto- remediation of Ni. Therefore, according to these results, S. plumosa is an appropriate plant for Ni remediation in soils contaminated by petroleum products.

Introduction: In this study, the use of a global emission dataset of particulate matters is evaluated for air quality modelling in a residential region. The EDGAR- HTAP dataset of global emissions, updated in the year 2014, is used in the model WRF-Chem to simulate the concentrations of primary pollutants, including SO2, NO2, O3, CO, PM10, and PM2.5. The utilization of online meteorology- chemistry models has been more common in recent years.Materials and methods: In this study, with the aid of WRF-Chem capability in online simulation of meteorology and chemistry processes and using the aerosol module MADE/ SORGAM, the concentrations of the primary pollutants in Tehran for three days of 20, 21, and 22 June 2014 is estimated. In this study the latest version of EDGAR-HTAP dataset (updated in the year 2014) was applied along with the RETRO global dataset in the model. The HTAP dataset constitutes a grid network with the resolution of 0.1×0.1 which contains some compositions such as CH4, CO, SO2, NOx, NMVOC, NH3, PM10, PM2.5, BC, and OC. The HTAP emission inventory is based on the measurement of the years 2008 and 2010 which is prepared globally. The EDGAR- HTAP emission inventory gives the amount of emissions from gaseous sources such as industry, energy, transportation, and agriculture. The measurement unit of the flow of the pollution into the atmosphere is kilogram per cubic meter per second. The RETRO emission inventory includes the amount of the anthropogenic pollution as well as the gases from biological and natural processes.Results and discussion: For the verification of the output simulated concentration, the measured data from the air quality stations in Tehran is used. The verification of the model output shows that for four pollutant agents, including SO2, NO2, PM10, and PM2.5, the simulated concentration have acceptable values in comparison with the measured data. But the simulation for the two pollutants of CO and NO2 shows a considerable under- estimation. The use of the chemistry schemes and global data has an important impact on the results. One of the approaches to obtain a better estimation from pollution concentrations is the enhancement in the amounts of the emissions dataset. The effectiveness of this approach can be verified by the repeated running of the model after modifying the emissions dataset.Conclusion: In the current study, the results of the model WRF/Chem for air pollution gaseous agents for certain particles such as PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and O3 were acceptable in comparison to the observed data from the air pollution stations in Tehran. Regarding the results achieved, using other chemistry schemes of the model WRF-Chem and change and rectification of the global emission dataset are some considerable methods for approaching a more accurate result with less under- estimation for the agents CO and NO2.

Introduction: Accumulation of heavy metals in soil has resulted in several environmental problems in different parts of the world. High concentrations of these elements in soils may lead to high absorption by plants and this is the main route into the human food chain and animal and biological cycles. Consequently, investigations are necessary to find out how accumulation of these elements can be prevented that creates soil and ecosystem contamination. Among heavy metals, cadmium is one of the most dangerous due to its high mobility in biological systems and ability to accumulate in plant tissues without causing any visible symptoms. Considering the high mobility of Cd in acid soils and the optimal growth of rice in such soils, and according to the role of rice in public health, this study was conducted to assess of the contamination of paddy soils with Cd in Guilan Province.Materials and methods: For this purpose, 100 soil samples were randomly taken from 0-20 cm depths using GPS devices from different paddy farms. The soil samples were then passed through a 2-mm sieve after drying. The total cadmium concentration and some soil characteristics such as EC, pH, bulk density, particle density and soil organic matter were then measured. The spatial distribution of cadmium was investigated using different geo-statistical methods including IDW, Spline, and Kriging with a GIS software.Results and discussion: The results of the soil physical and chemical analyses showed that the average pH of the soils and saturated electrical conductivity were 6.48 and 1.59 ds/m, respectively, indicating no salinity hazard for rice production. The sand, silt and clay contents of soil samples were between 4 to 35, 28 to 49 and 39 to 65, respectively, so the soil textures were in the range of clay loam, silty clay and clay. These soil textures were moderately heavy to heavy and so are suitable for rice cultivation. The average amount of organic matter was 1.78 and the total Cd concentration before cropping varied between 0.65 to 1.40 and, after harvest, was 1.97 to 11.05. From the geo-statistical methods studied, the ordinary Kriging with spherical model was selected as the best method.Conclusion: According to the results obtained, part of the study area becomes contaminated after harvesting, based on the Kelly index which can show the effect of chemical fertilizers use and incorrect land management, and so the use of these fertilizers should be carried out with care.

Introduction: The modern state is an elastic term that can meet the demands of the human rights of citizens. However, today enjoying a healthy environment is an example of a third generation human rights concern of citizens. Full protection of this right requires deep changes in the content and structure of governments and, without a whole range of development, ensuring these citizenship rights cannot be achieved.Results and discussion: Green government is an evolved form of government that has the ability to support and protect the environment. In crossing government with green government, understanding and analyzing the relationship of the state with the environment is very important and such bilateral relations will create fundamental changes in the government. In addition, this will introduce the environment as a model for policy, legislation and enforcement. The quality of this relationship reflects the commitment of the government to the environment. Government and the environment have a two- way communication whereby the government has provided the fate of the environment as policy- making and enforcement authority and, on the other hand, the government's success in environmental protection depends on respect for environmental rules. Green government is identified as a state founded on that right which creates restrictions on relations between the government and the environment and affects the structure and content of government. Background research reveals that green government as a new concept still has not been correctly incorporated into developments relating to government in legal doctrine and there is a noticeable lack of theory in this respect both worldwide and in Iran. Although the ecological state and its environmental duties it has been investigated in many areas of environmental law and in academic studies and administrative bodies’ research studies, relations between the government and the environment in transition to a green government is without any history of research. This area is considered as a new approach to the concept of government.Material and methods: The authors seek to explore the effectiveness of a right to the environment on the content and structure of government and, in this regard, Iran is considered as the basic geography of the research. Here, the authors have used library resources and domestic and international documents to analyze the relationship between the state and the environment and have described and analyzed the legal relations and interaction of these two to achieve green government. We know that green government is a state founded on a right and we pay attention to environmental considerations and the impact of human rights on the structure, content and limits of green government in related titles.Conclusion: In this study, evaluation of the components of the relationship between the state and the environment, on the one hand, and the means of achieving green government, on the other, shows us first that realization of green government requires the formation of a special relationship between the environment and the state. In this context it is conceivable that an important role in shaping the government moves, in addition to the role of government in determining the fate of the environment and its elements, towards environmental values. Secondly, the green state is a government that focuses on the right to a healthy environment. So, as a rights- based government it is subject to restrictions related to that right and needs to predict patterns to guarantee the right to a healthy environment and resolve the conflict between that right and other human rights.

Introduction: Fandogloo habitat, the largest gene pool of hazelnuts, is located in the Northwest of Iran. A combination of climatic variation and consecutive sexual propagation have produced a very rich genetic diversity among local hazelnuts in this gene pool. The goal of this research was to conduct a biodiversity analysis of hazelnuts in Fandogloo habitat using a correlational study among variables, principle component analysis and cluster analysis. Meanwhile, probable relationships between the studied variables of hazelnuts and their growing location were also evaluated.Materials and methods: Twenty superior genotypes were selected out of 70 primarily studied genotypes and labelled in 2014-2015 on the basis of important morphological and phonological traits. Ten variables regarding nut and kernel dimension and phytochemical compositions (oil, protein, and carbohydrates percentages of kernels and the amount of Taxol in mature leaves) were evaluated. In order to study the environmental effects, five environmental traits including the means of annual rainfall and temperature, elevation above sea level, number of frosty days, and soil pH were evaluated for each sampling place. The statistical analysis was done with SPSS 16.Results and discussion: According to descriptive statistics, the highest coefficient of variance (C.V.) values belonged to nut thickness (26.31%), and nut weight (24.41%), while the lowest C.V. values belonged to frosty days (1.53%), and soil pH (1.83%). There was a strong correlation between nut length and kernel percentage (r=0.943, P<0.01) and a negative correlation between Taxol and kernel thickness (r=-0.519, P<0.05) and kernel percentage (r=-0.524, P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between soil pH and annual precipitation (r=-0.838, P<0.01) while elevation above sea level was positively correlated with annual precipitation (r=0.481, P<0.01). Annual rainfall had a negative correlation (r=-0.495, P<0.05) with kernel ratio. Principle component analysis showed that the first five principle components (PCs) accounted for 70.85% of the total variation. Cluster analysis produced a dendrogram with two main clusters. The genotypes classified in group II were located in a higher elevation than the group I genotypes. This study showed a significant genetic diversity among the hazelnuts of Fandogloo habitat, which is of great value for breeding programmes. The diversity observed within hazelnuts in Fandogloo is related rather to their genetic variation than the impact of environmental conditions. However, among environmental properties, elevation above sea level had more effects on genotype attributes in comparison with other environmental factors.Conclusion: Hemmed in by tall mountains with a cold climate, Fandogloo has become one of the unique gene pools of hazelnut in Iran. The nuts of the studied genotypes in Fandogloo were smaller, globular with relatively high kernel ratio than hazelnuts from other habitats in Iran. Although none of the studied genotypes are potentially eligible to be introduced as a new cultivar, but they may be crossed with commercial cultivars in order to produce new hazelnut cultivars compatible with the harsh climatic conditions of Fandogloo.

Introduction: National parks are places that have as their goal the prevention of extinction of plant and animal species in each country and, so, they are the best means of support for the revival of nature. Bamou National Park with an extent of 48, 075 hectares is located near the Shiraz city. In this study, the conservation and ecological evaluation of vascular plants in Bamou Park was investigated, for the first time.Materials and methods: For identification of the conservation status of plant species in this area, geographical maps were studied and different habitats were then investigated by field survey (1999-2011). Plant species were identified based on the flora of Iran and the neighbouring countries. Some species were also compared with herbarium samples held at the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands Iran (TARI) and Ministry of Iranian Agriculture (Iran) and the life form types, chorotype and conservation status of the species were recognized.Results and discussion: 534 species were identified and documented from among 1830 samples. The conservation assessment showed that there were 129 lower risk (LR), seven vulnerable (VU), one endangered (EN) and 397 data deficient (DD) species. In addition, endemism shoed that, of the 74 endemic species belonging to Fars Province, there were 26 species (35.1%) present in Bamou Park. The life form study illustrated that Chamaephytes at 53.2% and then Therophytes at 21.7% had the most frequent. Chronological data indicated that the Iran- Turan region, Iran-Anatolia and Mediterranean regions, with 51.4%, 21.7% and 14.2% had the most phyto- geographical elements, respectively.Conclusion: Narrative and oral comparisons of Bamou flora with neighbouring regions demonstrated that the protective role of Bamou could keep some medicinal, edible and livestock species from danger. In addition, it appears that the role of reduced rainfall and fire on a number of annual plants had been remarkable in recent years. I suggest that, we need to learn more about the conservation and better use of plants in Fars Province, because the migration of nomadic and tribal peoples and their accommodation occur widely in this province.Acknowledgements: The cooperation and help given by the environmental guards of the Bamou National Park is commendatory. I am thankful also to Bahram Zehzad, Mohammad Reza Rahiminejad, Valiollah Mozaffarian, Ali Sonboli and Iraj Mehregan, for their helpful suggestions on some species determination.

Introduction: Haftcheshmeh Cu-Mo deposit is located in East Azerbaijan, 28 kilometres northwest of Varzeghan. Surface water and groundwater in the area pass over deposit and may leach heavy metals and toxic deposits from the chemical reactions of the mass and resolved. This would place forest plant species and organisms of Arasbaran Protected Area in danger with the passage of time. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Cu-Mo deposits in Haftcheshmeh with the increasing of pollution in surface and groundwater and the impact of this pollution on life species is the area.Materials and methods: In order to evaluate the effects of Cu-Mo deposits on the health of species in the study area, 24 water samples were collected from the deposits and the surrounding area. The samples were analyzed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer for some heavy metals such as Zn, Pb, Mo, Cu.Results and discussion: The results showed that, under the impact of these deposits, some elements were increased which it can be harmful for the life of human, plant and animal species and the health of the site. Investigations showed that the concentration of molybdenum in near deposit to standards (EEC, EPA, WHO), the lead level in all the samples was high in relation to the EPA standard and the concentrations of zinc and copper were high in comparison with the EEC standard and this can be harmful for human health and that of the site. However, the concentration decreased with distance from the deposit. If we compare these elements’ concentrations with their permissible levels for aquatic organisms, plants and wildlife, it is demonstrated that around the deposit the concentrations were higher than permissible levels and it can be dangerous for the life of species.Conclusion: The results of this research revealed that studies of the environmental impact (EIA) of the Haftcheshmeh deposit are required before mining operations are started. The location of deposits inside the Arasbaran Protected Area showed that special techniques should be employed for mining.

Introduction: Heavy metal pollution of water is one of the most serious environmental problems in the world and the Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the world, is exposed to high levels of industrial, agricultural and oil pollutants. Fish species are the ultimate consumer in the food pyramid in aquatic ecosystems. Since the fish form a large part of the human diet, heavy metals enter the human body through contaminated fish. This study was conducted to measure the concentration of five heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and chrome in the edible tissues (muscle) and non- edible tissue (liver and gill) of the gray mullet, Liza aurata and its seasons and living environment in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. and also to compare their amounts with World Health Organization, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, Food and Drug Administration standards.Materials and methods: A total of 100 adult golden gray mullet were caught from 10 sites (Including Astara, Talesh, Anzali, Rudsar, Tonekabon, Nowshahr, Fereydunkenar, Behshahr, Bandar-e Torkaman and Hojanepes) in various coastal areas near inflows of urban, agricultural and industrial waste water and along the waterfront and fishing areas. After biometry, metals were extracted from the tissue using a mixture of acid digestion and determination was conducted by graphite furnace atomic absorption system.Results and discussion: The results showed that the metal accumulation in tissue was different and significant, the concentration of the metals in the three tissues was as follows: liver>gill>muscle. Heavy metals choose their target organ based on its metabolic activity and this explains the reason why more metals accumulate in tissues such as the liver and gills compared to muscle tissue (with low metabolic activity). Liver tissue tends to be high in accumulation of heavy metals. The high concentration of metals in the context of the gills, is the first sign of contamination in the water. Mixing elements with gill mucus, full transposition of the lamella gill elements when preparing tissue for testing impossible to screw???. Metal concentrations in muscle are lower than those in liver because muscle is not the first storage place for these metals; heavy metals are first stored in the liver and then transferred to the muscle. Metal accumulation was as Pb>Cd>Cr>Hg>As. The study of heavy metals between stations, in muscle tissue was significantly different. This may be due to differences in pollutant sources in sampling areas. The accumulation of heavy metals increases from the southwest to the southeast coast. According to the Pearson test, there was the significant negative linear relationship between the Pb, Cd and As accumulation tissues by weight. Except for arsenic, there was no significant correlation between the metals with any total length. Moreover, there was a positive relationship (p<0.01) between the Pb, cd, Hg and As concentrations, with the exception of Cr.Conclusion: comparison of the data obtained for muscle tissue with the global standard level (WHO /NHMRC) showed that the concentration of the heavy metals Pb, Cr, Cd, Hg was higher than the global standard level, except for As. The least metal absorption and accumulation is in the muscle of mullet that is a source of human nutrition, followed by aquatic to the above elements. Since the concentration of the heavy metals tested above was higher than the global standard, this reflects the increasing water pollution of the Caspian Sea.