Journal of Natural Environment
Year:2010 | Volume:63 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Local community participation in development programs has a long history and wide range of development agencies have tried to involve people in development plans should. In this context, the main purpose of this study was to assess feasibility of participatory management of urban parks, in city of Karaj. The study applied a descriptive-survey method of research. The statistical population included all of the people residents of the city of Karaj region in 9 areas. A sample of 203 was selected by the use of Cronbach’s Alpha through simple random sampling method. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. For determining the validity of the questionnaire, the content validity was used. Cronbach's alpha was used to measure reliability of the instrument (0.7>). The results revealed that 6.9 percent of people were not agreed to participate in park management. In addition, 46 percent of people believed that currently the most important problem in parks management and maintenance of them. The results of ANOVA revealed that there were not significant difference in participation intention and education; also, the t-test showed that there was not significant difference between men and women in participation intention. Thus, according to officials recommended further investigation to try the field for more participation of people with knowledge and providing more information to provide.

Today’s, adverse effects of off-site erosion, namely damages received from sediment, is a serious bioenvironmental problem. One of the methods for temporary soil stabilization before permanent rehabilitation of vegetation cover, especially on slopes, for mitigating of bioenvironmental contaminants, is using materials having property to cementate the dispersed particles on the soil surface. Gypsum is a material having ability to flocculate and bind the separate particles and aggregates on the soil surface. It can also prevent from soil detachment against abrasive forces. The objective of this study is to evaluate the optimum application of gypsum to reduce runoff and sediment yield and enhancing shear strength of soil surface and aggregate stability on unstable sloping marly hills of Zanjan province using small flume facility and rainfall simulator, torvane and wet sieving apparatus. These marly hills are overhang to one of the biggest water reservoirs of Iran (Sefidrood Dam) and due to their large amounts of clay particles cause numerous problems for this area. Results showed that mixing of different amounts of gypsum with upper 5 mm of soil surface reduced runoff and sediment rates between ranges of 0-13% and 11-92% respectively compared with the control treatment. Also at 30% slope and under 75 mm h-1 rainfall, the effectiveness of 20 Mg ha-1 gypsum in reducing sediment concentration diminished 35 min after runoff initiation. Whereas, the effect of 30 Mg ha-1 gypsum on sediment reduction in the same slope and rainfall intensity did not decrease even 60 min (1 hour) after initiation of runoff. In addition, it was revealed that using of gypsum because of improvement of soil physical properties and formation of water stable aggregates (WSA) on steep slopes reduced soil particle detachment and ultimately decreased soil erosion. Therefore with respecting to relatively cheap purchasing price of gypsum, the dispersed particles of soil surface on sloping areas can be economically stabilize and this leads to reduce different pollutions related to dispersed particles.

Industrial waste management is one of the most properly approaches which make industry and environment collaborating and coacting as well as reduce impacts of industry on environment. In this study, present management of Yazd Industrial Township located in Yazd province was studied. In order to properly manage and control waste production, questionnaires were used to collect data regarding types, composition of industrial waste and the methods of waste management used in 117 of the 252 business in the study area. The industries can be classified as: food, tire and plastic, chemical, metal, nonmetal mineral, wood, paper, textile and car and mobilizations industries. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software. The results indicated that waste component include 32% miscellaneous wastes, 21% metallic waste, 17% polymerized matters, 7% animal wastes, 5% non organic matters such as sludge, 3.5% organic compounds, 3% chemical matters, 2.5% non organic acids, 2% compounds of toxic metals, 2% waste of tars, 1.2% filtered matters and 0.8% non organic compounds. About 76.8% of the waste was solid, 14.2% liquid and 9% semi solid. Considering the results in this study, it is seen none of the industries use suitable methods for maintaining the waste. In most cases, they were disposed off the waste by dumping and in very rarely cases the resorted it for reuse and recycling. In the first, step in order to manage of waste in a properly way, it is necessary to constitute a network information of hazardous waste in industrial management system. It is also recommended to keep sitting studies prior to disposal and burying of waste.

Ecotourism is known as a type of sustainable tourism which helps both conservation and development, but many of tourism sites go to instability and self-destruction because of unsuitable environment assessment. Besides it is necessary to introduce new region for increasing of protected area in Iran. Using related criteria is an appropriate method for selection of suitable protected area and ecotourism places. Regarding to this goal, 12 criteria and 41 sub criteria for ecotourism management planning and 5 criteria and 26 sub criteria for selection of protected patches in natural ecosystems of Iran, were extracted from reviewing of different documents. These criteria and sub criteria were screened for tourism management planning and selection of protected patches in island ecosystems by using Delphi Method and finally 11 criteria and 25 sub criteria for ecotourism management planning and 5 criteria and 15 sub criteria for selection of protected patches were selected in Hengam Island. Then they were weighted differently by Analytical Hierarchy Process and their priority was distinguished, then determined coefficients were demonstrated as mathematical model for selection of protected and ecotourism patches. Related indicators were described for all selected sub criteria which were suitable for studied area characteristics and could change into maps. These maps were imported to GIS and symmetrical distance maps were prepared. Finally appropriate ecotourism and protected area were identified in Hengam Island by using mathematical model and it were specified cautiously ecotourism zone, ecotourism with low physical development and ecotourism without physical development in case of ecotourism according to distinguished areas and in case of conservation it was distinguished protected area zone, environmental sensitive zone, rehabilitation and restored zone and control and monitoring zone. Results showed that 48.99 percent of studied area which is the whole island and 10 meter depth of surrounding water has protected value potentially. Also about 62.33 percent of the study area is suitable for ecotourism activities and 21.31 percent should be restored and rehabilitated and finally 70.99 percent of Island and the surrounding water are suggested for control and monitoring.

Jajrood protected complex (Khojir and Sorkheh Hesar national parks and Jajrood protected area) is one of the most  important habitats of Central Alborz wild sheep (Ovis gmelini X O. vignei) in Iran. Since the species mate in fall, then fall home range has critical rule in life cycle of this species. Using the ecological niche factor analysis (ENFA), effective factors on the presence of species were identified and fall habitat suitability was modeled. The results show that this species has narrow ecological niche in this season and is sensitive to habitat changes. The suitable habitats are recognized to be in areas with height more than 1535 meters a.s.l. and the mean temperature less than 10oC, with suitable escape terrain away from the villages. Military areas and roads according to their use have different effects on species presence and habitat suitability.

This paper discusses the integration of biodiversity concerns with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures of Iran. Indeed, it compares and analyses this status in six south Asian countries. The analysis was based on the reports available from a number of EIA report references to biodiversity, and biodiversity related issues, level and compositional, structure or functional component of biodiversity. The analysis provides clear evidence that biodiversity is not being adequately addressed in EIA studies undertaken in Iran, and some of the studied countries. So, the impacts on biodiversity were not being adequately addressed and that functional biodiversity, in particular, was inadequately assessed. The results show that there are less consideration about biodiversity in Iranian EIA Guidelines (32%) comparing to Bangladesh and Bhutan (50%), Pakistan and Nepal (41%), but more than India (14%) and Seri Lanka (9%). For optimizing the role and importance of biodiversity concerns in EIA procedures of Iran, structural and institutional recommendations provided on those aspects of biodiversity that should be addressed in EIA. The recommendations should be used for the preparation of guidelines for integration of biodiversity in Iranian EIA.

Although host species generally face increased risk of brood parasitism in fragmented temperate landscapes and forest edge, little information exists to assess such risks in tropical birds. We studied how Cuculidae species populations, host species population, and micro-environmental variables changed along an edge-to-interior gradient in Peninsular Malaysia. Bird observations and environmental variables, including vegetation structure and microclimatic measurements were made within a 25 m radius of each of 105 sampling points. The most pronounced changes in host-brood parasite bird community occurred within 400 m of the forest edge. Based on bird-habitat associations along the edge-interior gradient, three groups of birds were distinguished. The first group, including Indian Cuckoo and Plaintive Cuckoo, was positively correlated with abundance of some edge specialist babblers such as Striped Tit-babbler and Fluffy-backed Tit-babbler at 25-200 m from the forest edge. The second group, including Drongo Cuckoo and Banded bay Cuckoo, showed positive correlation with the abundance of Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo at 400 m from the forest edge. The third group, including Rufous-bellied Malkoha, Black-bellied Malkoha, and Green-billed Malkoha, did not show any detectable correlation with distance from the edge. The fact that the forest edge has a high population of brood parasites compare to the interior is cause for concern. From conservation perspective, protection of large lowland forest remnants with a low proportion of edge is recommended.