Introduction: The strategic management and planning is the highest level of management that has a long-term attitude in resource allocation and decision making. Relying on a combination of perspectives, policies, structures, and effective systems in this field, the strategic approach in water resources management prevents sudden future events and crises that will lead to the sustainable development of water resources (Pour Fallah et al., 2009). Determination and development of water resources are one of the important steps in sustainable use of water resources. There are several methods and models for this purpose, each of which contains its own concept and insight and follows specific techniques and instructions. Among the various models, the SWOT matrix, which assesses the system strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, is more common and well-known (Hill and Vetbrook, 1997). Extraction of a strategy based on the strengths and weaknesses of the internal environment and the opportunities and threats outside the management field provides realistic solutions to the decision maker, and the closeness or distance of the solutions from the sustainable development model-planning (Azarnivand et al., 2013). Although the common use of this model is mainly related to the strategic planning of production and service organizations, its unique features make it possible to use it in the analysis of various issues such as watershed management at extra-organizational levels. More recently, the use of SWOT analysis for water resources management has been proposed in previous research (Petusi et al., 2017; Negar, 2015). Methodology: This study was performed in four main stages, namely identification of internal and external factors, weighting of factors, creation of matrix for the evaluation of internal and external factors, and finally selection of appropriate strategies (Ghazavi, 2019). The formation of SWAT matrix leads to the presentation of four management strategies as follows. • Competitive/Aggressive Strategy (SO): By implementing this strategy, an effort is made to take advantage of external opportunities. • Review/Conservative Strategy (WO): The goal is to take advantage of opportunities in the external environment to improve internal weaknesses. • Diversity Strategy (ST): Reduce the impact of external threats using strengths. • Defensive Strategy (WT): Defensive mode that aims to reduce internal weaknesses and avoid external threats (Sarai and Shamshiri, 2013) Results and discussion: According to the results of the present study, the total final score of internal factors was 2. 98 in the evaluation matrix, which can mean the strength of internal factors. The total final score of external factors was 2. 89 in the evaluation matrix, which means that Natanz city has been able to take advantage of the factors that create opportunities or situations, or avoid some of the factors that threaten the city. Based on the results, the best strategic position for Natanz urban watershed is in the offensive range, which focuses on internal strengths and external opportunities. Besides the existing capabilities and potentials in Natanz should be used in managing runoff management. Conclusion: In order to provide appropriate strategies and strategies for strategic management of Natanz urban watershed, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were studied using the SWOT method. The findings show that Natanz city, despite a low level of the urban basin for various reasons, was not able to make optimal and desirable use of this natural facilities for its development and progress. The existence of impenetrable levels, digging numerous wells to supply water to factories and industries, and the lack of municipal wastewater treatment plants are some of the threats to the region. According to the results, aggressive strategy is the best structural strategy for the Natanz urban watershed.

Demand increasing in water resources in Iran has been caused to water exploitation and disturbing the ground water resources balance. In Hormozgan Province that is located in arid region of Iran, there is not balance between demand and supply of water resources. Isin Watershed that is covered 47793.5 ha area, located in the northern part of Persian Gulf. In this watershed, water supply depends on groundwater resource so has been faced to loss of groundwater level that this losing grows faster and faster. In this study, after collecting information about watershed management for isin watershed, identify and analysis of natural features, various states that may happen be with watershed management or without it, has been projected. Four scenarios developed for this purpose and analysis the results show that, if watershed management will be done in the isin watershed, the amounts of infiltrated water into the groundwater will be 1.5 times more than in which time that do not any watershed management. Accordingly, with implement the watershed management and artificial recharge operations, the average of rainfall infiltration into the groundwater will be 1.72 mcm per year in dry years and 6.63 mcm per year in wet years.

With the increasing of urbanization, conditions of the underlying surface and climate conditions have been changed by human activities. This resulted in more frequent floods and inundation problems in urban areas. Storm-inundation Models based on hydrology and hydrodynamics require a large amount of input data (detailed terrain, sewer system and land use data). In this paper, in order to determine inundation conditions quickly with only a few usually available input data, an urban storm-inundation simulation method (USISM) based on geographic Information System (GIS) is proposed. The USISM is a simplified method of distributed hydrological model based on DEM, in this method depressions in terrain are regarded as the basic inundated area. The amount of water that can be stored in a depression indicates the final inundation distribution. The runoff and maximum storage volume for each depression and the flow direction between these depressions are all considered in the final inundation simulation. The SCS method is used to calculate storm runoff and a water balance equation is used to calculate the water storage in each depression. The result reveals that the USISM method could find the inundation locations in the Damghan Urban Watershed and quickly calculate inundation depth and area. The USISM is valuable for simulating storms of short duration in an Urban Watershed with a few in commonly available input data.

Throughout the human history, societies and rivers have been closely linked, so that the human civilization began from the riverside (Stevaux et al. 2009 (. The quantitative and qualitative characteristic of river is vulnerable to land-use changes (Kang et al. 2010). Natural and urban watersheds are influenced by the rapid land use change due to urban development (Furusho et al. 2013). Hence the importance of land use as an environmental variable have made its changes as a major issue in environmental changes and sustainable development) Verburg et al. 2009). The development of urbanization and industrialization of cities and communities have undesirable effects on the hydrological response of watersheds. It increases the magnitude of runoff and contamination, reduces the base flow and the groundwater recharge. Hence, urban authorities are urged to pay more attention to the environmental damaging effects of the urbanization process and the increase of construction. In this regard, attention should be paid to the effect of type of land cover and land use on urban runoff and hydrological changes in surface flow. Tehran as the largest metropolis in Iran has ascending trend of land cover and land use changes due to the growing population. In this research, the effect of urban development on the hydrological characteristics of the Tajrish sub-watershed (in Darband watershed) located north of Tehran has been investigated. Results of this study indicated that the river Darband is exposed to hydrological hazard due to human need for space and land use and land cover changes. The studied area is affected by decreasing pervious area, increase of runoff coefficient, and change in water quality parameters. Darband River watershed consists of two streams of Darband and Golabdareh which are considered as the major rivers of the Tehran-Karaj Basin. This river originates from the mountains of the Tochal located in northern Tehran. The catchment area of Darband River in the studied area is 39. 88 square kilometers. In this study, aerial photos of years 1345, 1358 and also and IkONOS images in year 2011 were used to detect the changes in land cover and land use in the Tajrish watershed. Pas-Ghale sub-watershed in upstream of Tajrish was selected as benchmark since its land use doesn't affected by human interventions. SCS-CN method developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was used to estimate the quantitative changes in surface storage and runoff volume. Man-Kendall test was used for temporal trend detection of discharge and chemical parameters of surface water and also. The change of water type was identified annually using the Piper diagram in the aqQA software. Frequency analysis was carried out for peak discharge data using the weibull’ s empirical method. During three considered periods, the curve numbers (CN) and runoff coefficient (C) in Tajrish watershed significantly increased. Significant trend was also observed for the chemical parameters of surface flow in Tajrish. While the surface storage and initial abstraction ratio (λ ) indicate decreasing trend. Relationships of CN and λ with rainfall depth (P) were also computed for both studied watersheds. According to the Piper diagram, the distribution of ions in the cation diagrams at both Maghsudbeik and Pasghaleh stations is generally more directed toward sodium. In the triangles of anions, both of the stations studied tend to show more calcium biocarbon content. Presence of sodium ion in the surface water is due to igneous formations in the watershed. The surface water in Pasghale station, indicate a neutral type of water. Whereas, saline water type is detected in the Maghsudbeik station. The increase of urban utilization over the past three decades could be the main cause of changes in the hydro chemical characteristics and water type along the Darband River. Investigation of land use changes in the Darband watershed indicate that the impervious surface has increased during years of 1996 to 2011. Results also indicate that the CN and λ values in Pas-ghale watershed are more correlated to Pin compared with ones observed in Tajrish. The results also reveal that hydrological modeling in watersheds undergoes land use changes and urbanization will result in imprecision results. Many chemical parameters of the water quality of Darband River have been increasing at the Maghsudbeik station such as Chlorine, sulfate, sodium, electric conductivity and TDS and in the coming years, it can be considered inappropriate in terms of agriculture in the water class.

Extended Abstract Background: Soil erosion, a significant form of land degradation, poses severe challenges to humanity in different ecosystems. It serves as a comprehensive index for evaluating the development and sustainability of land management programs. Assessing the status and spatial extent of soil erosion has become crucial in developing countries. Biological management, a recommended and effective means of controlling soil erosion in the early stages of all processes, offers a practical solution. Biological methods, such as minimum tillage operations and limited intervention in nature, prove to be more cost-effective and efficient than structural measures. Despite these advantages, biological measures have not received adequate attention in soil erosion control. This research addresses this gap by applying biological management in the Kilanbar Watershed (Kermanshah Province, Iran), demonstrating its effectiveness and cost-efficiency. Methods: The layers of elevation from sea level, aspect, and slope steepness were prepared and combined in the geographic information system (GIS) software to prepare 38 land units. In the Kilanbar Watershed, 14 land units with the ability to perform biological management measures were extracted based on the expert and technical opinions of the watershed manager and considering different bases to improve the performance and decision-making of the units with an area of less than 300 ha. The Kilanbar Watershed is located in Ravansar City, west of Kermanshah Province. The study area is approximately 10798 ha. The highest and lowest elevation points of the watershed are 2183 and 1388 m above mean sea level, respectively. The mean annual precipitation, temperature, and relative humidity are 533 mm, 11.4 °C, and 45.1%, respectively. The status of soil erosion in each land unit was completed based on the scoring of the BLM form based on the visual and expert opinions, and a map of the erosion pattern was prepared in the land units. Ambrotropic and hyetographs were drawn using the 30-year precipitation and temperature data of the Ravansar synoptic station to determine the periods of drought and wet conditions and to identify suitable plants with the characteristics of the region. A climatic–agricultural map was prepared and integrated into the GIS using meteorological station data (temperature, precipitation, evaporation, and transpiration), and plant species were selected according to ecological expectations for watershed biological measures. Results: According to the BLM form results, one and eight land units are in partial and low erosion conditions, respectively, and five other land units are in medium erosion conditions. According to the erosion pattern map, the majority of the studied area, about 70% of the watershed, is in a low and medium erosion state, which naturally confirms the high ability to use appropriate biological measures to control soil erosion. According to ambrothermic and hyetograph measurements, June to September were dry months, and precipitation changes were more significant than temperature changes from October to May. According to the climatic–agricultural map, the region is divided into five classes. Class 4 (4819.3 ha) and Class 1 (364.83 ha) had the largest and smallest areas, respectively. Finally, the zoning of suitable rangeland species in the watershed showed that rangeland species of Asteragalus ascendes, Avena fatua, Picnomon sp., Achillea millefolium, Bromus tomentellus, and Hordum blubosum dominantly covered the region. Based on the study results, appropriate plant species were introduced for the studied watershed. Accordingly, conservation and reclamation measures were recommended to improve land productivity and ecological conditions and avoid land use changes for the study area. The essential measures include vegetation in rangeland ecosystems aiming at preventing the role of the canopy cover from directly impacting raindrops on the soil surface, increasing water infiltration in the soil, stabilizing soil aggregates due to roots extension, increasing grazing capacity and livestock production, and increasing its efficiency and productivity with time. Conclusion: The findings of this study hold significant potential for the Kilanbar Watershed. The proposed biological erosion measures, tailored to the ecosystem's unique conditions, are effective, low-cost, and environmentally compatible. They offer a sustainable solution for managing soil and water resources in various ecosystems. Implementing these measures can significantly reduce soil erosion in the watershed, particularly in areas with low to moderate erosion status. This research is an essential initiative in applying biological erosion measures in the Kilanbar Watershed, demonstrating that soil erosion can be effectively and practically controlled in approximately 67% of the watershed through biological methods in the critical land-use areas of rangelands and agriculture. It is important to note that applying biological erosion measures requires comprehensive and integrated investigations, considering the different parts of the ecosystem. With these findings, the proposed approach in this research can be extended to other watersheds across the country, particularly those with slight to moderate erosion status, while maintaining the principle of comprehensiveness and respecting the unique conditions of each watershed.

The biological and mechanical measures adapted to crucial renewable resources (water, vegetation and soil) and sustaining agriculture and soil fertility. However, local inhabitants’ participation is the main challengeable issue, particularly maintaining the constructed watershed management projects. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the watershed management measures which constructed through joint project by Forests and Rangelands Organization (FRM) and Middle East and North Africa Regions Program for Integrated Development (MENARID), conducting in Razin, Kermanshah. Each constructed measure was checked and compared with its designed characteristics. Achieving the goal of joint MENARID project through each measure was strongly considered based on adaptation with climate change condition. The results explored that rare parts of induced measures were applied which included the pit-seeding, rain-fed orchard, concreted-stony dam, gabion and dyke. The pit-seeding contributed to increase in vegetation canopy, but there was subjected to early grazing and thus the young palatable species were found in weak phonological growth. The almond orchard is developed in closed rangeland to villages or rain-fed lands. Seedling was planted in a ditch which was excavated by heavy machine. At least 70% of seedlings were dried and no willing to support by local inhabitants due to supplemental irrigation cost and tangible benefit or incomes. Field survey also did not show any necessary requirements (sever erosion, landslide or flood hazard) for concreted-stony and gabion dams. This dyke evaluated the worst measure because of its effects on heavy soil disturbance. Overall, the evaluated measures were found unsuitable and did not overcome land degradation in Razin catchment. In addition, considering the achievement the goal of MENARID, adversely, the improper agricultural activities such as up-down the slope tillage practice, converting rangeland to rain-fed lands, overgrazing, over agricultural inputs (chemical fertilizers, pests and irrigation water) are going ahead.

Extended abstract Introduction Today, the destruction of natural resources has increased the possibility of shortages and crises of resources needed for human well-being. Therefore, to prevent further land degradation, it has become necessary to develop effective policies and strategies. In this regard, significant costs are spent every year on protecting natural resources and controling their degradation in the form of studies and executive projects, which in most cases do not meet the desired standard and require a comprehensive and systematic plan. In this regard, the country's watershed management faces many problems and challenges, which must be addressed by new approaches to comprehensive watershed management, taking into account all effective and influential aspects of watersheds.   Materials and methods In this research, first, a review of the detailed-executive studies of the Daftabad Watershed in South Khorasan Province, Iran was conducted with the aim of identifying the problems of the watershed. Also, the necessary visits were made to understand the watershed as much as possible. Then, a list of the problems and challenges of the region was prepared and placed in a fishbone diagram. The study evaluated the six pillars of comprehensive watershed management, viz., legal, policy, economic, social, cultural, and knowledge, and addressed their position in the watershed management ladder.   Results and discussion The research evaluation shows that although research studies and a watershed management unit have been included in the watershed, the failure to implement a watershed health and sustainability approach has caused the Daft Abad Watershed to be placed on the research-implementation rung of the watershed ladder. The research assessment shows that current approaches to managing the Daftabad Watershed face serious challenges. Several factors, including inappropriate management patterns, climate change, lack of active participation of local communities, lack of investment, lack of exploitation of economic opportunities and capabilities of the region, and existing socio-economic issues, have exposed this watershed to serious vulnerability. Also, the lack of assessment of the various needs of the population, especially the needs of women in different age groups, has led to the lack of various solutions for population management in the short- and long-term. On the other hand, utilizing the economic capabilities of the Daft Abad Watershed, especially in agriculture and barberry cultivation, to produce products, market the produced products, and expand ecotourism can reduce general poverty and strengthen the economy of local communities. In this regard, utilizing the economic capabilities of watersheds in order to produce products, market the produced products, and expand ecotourism can reduce general poverty and strengthen the economy of local communities. In general, by observing the approaches mentioned in this research and promoting detailed executive studies, the current trend of watersheds can be improved, and the waste of water and soil resources, the continuous migration of people to larger cities, and environmental problems can be reduced. Therefore, this program requires the active participation of all stakeholders, including the government, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and local communities in the design and implementation. Strengthening the participation of local communities, policy-making and planning that is appropriate for the health and sustainability of the area investing in various sectors and infrastructure, supporting vulnerable groups, as well as paying attention to Indigenous knowledge and local experiences, along with using scientific and specialized knowledge, can significantly contribute to the success of this program.   Conclusions This study emphasizes the need for a comprehensive and participatory approach, providing solutions for improving the management of the Daftabad Watershed. The results can serve as a model for managers and policymakers in natural resource and watershed management, highlighting the need for holistic and inclusive strategies to ensure sustainable development and resilience. Accordingly, it is recommended that managers and planners at various levels of management, while paying significant attention to the participation of local communities, prioritize the evaluation, monitoring, and measurement of the effects of implemented projects so that in the long-term, they can simultaneously preserve and restore healthy watersheds and prevent the migration of watershed residents to neighboring cities and the emergence of numerous problems in those cities.  

The system analysis plays an important role in natural resources, water resources and industrial engineering. In recent years, most parts of Iran like Golestan province, due to the lack of integrated river basin management, have been suffered numerous losses in variant environmental, social and economic aspects. In this paper an application of system analysis has been applied to optimal pattern of various resources in Gharmabdasht Watershed situated in Golesten province, Iran. To achieve an optimal allocation of natural resources in this area, firstly a linear programming algorithm has been used to maximize the benefits. Then its results have been compared with an optimal allocation of resources using a goal programming. This comparison shows if a single objective optimization (LP) be formulated correctly, it can be that the proposed pattern, has been acceptable outputs in which be compared to goal programming (GP). The allocation natural resources based on LP method, in addition to reducing %10 of sediment from admissible amount effected by safety flood abatement criterion, has also maximized the beneficiary incoming with %5 plus needful along satisfied all of the goals.