IRANIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
Year:2019 | Volume:7 | Issue:4|Papers Count:5

In the current study, conservation strategies were employed for the spatial analysis of forest fragmentation and field assessment approaches in a forest landscape of Central Zagros, in the western part of Isfahan province, Iran. Vegetation and soil properties were accordingly studied in 15 forest sites with various densities including dense, semi-sparse and sparse-forests with 839. 2 km2. In the Landscape Function Analysis (LFA) method, 11soil surface indicators were assessed from each patch and inter-patch zones along the established transects to obtain three functional indices including soil-stability, infiltration and nutrient-cycling. In the health method, assessors rated 17 indicators to evaluate three functional attributes of ecosystems including soil and site-stability, biotic-integrity and hydrologic-function. Land use map of the study area was produced using Landsat OLI (2016) to measure the spatial distribution of fragmentation. The results of LFA showed that the stability and nutrient-cycling indices of the dense-forest sites were 72. 4 and 57. 9%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in other lands (p < 0. 05). According to the health results, soil surface loss, invasive plants and soil surface resistance to erosion were the most important factors influencing the health of the sites. The values of normalized fragmentation in dense-forest and sparse-forest areas were 54% and 96. 3%, respectively. According to the obtained results, the combined field-based and remotely-sensed approaches applied in this research could be used to assess the functionality of Zagros forests.

One of the effective steps for the sustainable forest development is the recognition of habitat condition and silvicultural characteristics of the rare species. Accordingly, this study investigated the autecology of Sorbus lorestanica as a rare species of Zagros. For this purpose, the exclusive natural habitat of Sorbus lorestanica in Lorestan province (Gahar Rood protected area) was selected the and data of all trees were recorded by the full inventory method. Habitat characteristics such as slop, aspect and altitude were recorded and the surface soil samples were taken and the selected physicochemical characteristics were measured. Fruits and seeds of the Sorbus lorestanica were sampled and the morphological traits were assessed. The results showed that Sorbus lorestanica trees were expanded at 2100-2400 m above sea level, in the north-western dirction in a shallow soil with sandy loam texture and alkaline reaction. The mean of diameter at the breast height (dbh), total height, canopy diameter, trunk height, crown canopy and basel area was 7. 58cm, 4. 04m, 3. 23m. 1. 25m. 9. 27m2 and 152. 77cm2, respectively. Also 1000 seeds weight and specific leaf area were 34. 78 gr and 97. 09 cm2/gr respectively. Juniperus excelsa, Amygdalus haussknechtii, Amygdalus lycioides, Amygdalus scoparia, Lonicera nummularifolia, Cerasus mahaleb and Salix spp were the main species present with Sorbus lorestanica trees.

With the acceleration of urbanization, human needs to connect with the nature and experience the aesthetic qualities such as landscape aesthetic, fresh air, topographic diversity and green infrastructures. Hence, landscape aesthetic quality is regarded as a valuable source of conservation. The purpose of landscape visual quality assessment is to identify the criteria for preserving and rehabilitating the aesthetic value based on them. In order to quantify the aesthetic value, after bringing the literature review and considering the characteristics of the study area, the effective criteria on the aesthetic value were determined, mapped and then standardized. In the next step, areas with aesthetic value were determined using the weighted linear combination method. Finally, areas with varying degrees of suitability of aesthetic were identified. According to the results, the regions with the highest aesthetics value and the area of 40. 64 Km2 had the minimum area, while those with the low aesthetic value and the area of 477. 65 Km2 had the maximum area. The results of this study can be useful for decision makers to improve the landscape management and quality.

This study was conducted to compare regeneration density and biodiversity indices in the natural and man-made gaps in the Tutaki forests of Siahkal in Gilan province. Data were collected from 60 gaps (including 30 natural and 30 manmade gaps). The results of species composition indicated that three tree species including Diospyros lotus L., Carpinus betulus L. and Alnus glutinosa L. in both gaps. In the shrub floor, for both gaps and all kinds of species, the average number in hectares of man-made gaps (with the exception of Ilex) was higher than that of natural gaps. Ilex & Crataegus pentagyna indicated the significant difference at 95% level between 2 gaps. Also, the regeneration density for all species at the natural gaps was more than man-made gaps and the average number in hectares for Diospyros lotus, Alnus glutinosa and Acer sp indicated the significant difference at the 95% level between the 2 gaps. So the regeneration of Fagus orientalis Lipsky was observed only in the natural gaps. The results of biodiversity indices also revealed that in natural gaps, the average of diversity, evenness and richness had the highest value, whereas in shrub, the average of these indices had the highest value.

Landfill location is one of the most important aspects of municipal solid waste management. Selecting a suitable solid waste landfill site can prevent adverse ecological and socioeconomic effects. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to determine the solid waste landfill site selection problem in Bushehr city, according to some criteria including the considered land use, distance from surface and underground water, soil texture, precipitation, wind direction, geology, slope and distance from the fault, distance from the residential areas and distance from roads, and distance from the industrial parts and facilities. For this purpose, calculated criteria were weighted using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). A geographic information system (GIS) was then used to manipulate and present the spatial data. The candidate sites by aggregation based on the criteria weighted by the weighted linear combination (WLC) method were determined and the candidate sites were divided to unsuitable and good landfill areas. In the good landfill area, with the least time and investment, there was the possibility of developing a solid waste. By considering the minimum required landfill area for 10, 20, 50 and 100 years, the candidate sites were prioritized. The results of the site suitability assessment showed that the site E in Bushehr city was the suitable area for locating the disposal of solid wastes, covering an area of 3738 ha, 3. 7% of the total area.