Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Department of Environmental Science, Natural Resources Faculty, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
2
Department of Agricultural Machinery Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
3
Department of Environmental Science, Natural Resources Faculty, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran
10.22059/jtcp.2026.406670.670536
Abstract
The increasing importance of sustainable land management, land protection, and prioritizing regional protection has become an essential issue in regional planning. One of the requirements for prioritizing conservation is to pay attention to environmentally sensitive areas. In order to prioritize the criteria for identifying environmentally sensitive areas in Alborz Province, 9 criteria and 38 sub-criteria were obtained from reviewing and summarizing 50 domestic and international studies. The identified criteria and sub-criteria were presented in the form of a Delphi questionnaire to relevant experts and specialists for screening and prioritization. Based on the importance coefficient, the results indicated that 9 main criteria—including ecological vulnerability, human threats (conflicts and threats), plant biodiversity, animal biodiversity, human dependence, climate, land features, and natural hazards—comprising 25 sub-criteria mammals, surface water, birds, water status, land degradation, habitat sensitivity, precipitation (aridity), groundwater, vegetation function, soil sensitivity, plant type, reptiles, land sensitivity, hydrological hazards, aquatic life, plant sensitivity, social components, recreational importance, temperature, vegetation density, economic importance (land use and activity), topography, soil type, management, and scientific and educational importance are significant for identifying environmentally sensitive areas in Alborz Province and are prioritized accordingly.
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