Watershed Management

merupakan infrastruktur strategis yang dibangun untuk mengatasi permasalahan banjir dan kebutuhan air di wilayah Gampong Uteun Bayi dan sekitarnya. Pembangunan waduk ini berlangsung pada tahun 2013-2015 dengan total anggaran sekitar Rp6 Miliar yang bersumber dari Dana Otonomi Khusus Aceh (DOKA). Meskipun dirancang dengan tujuan mulia untuk mengendalikan banjir dan menyediakan sumber air, waduk ini menghadapi sejumlah permasalahan yang mengindikasikan kurang optimalnya perencanaan dan implementasi pembangunan. Observasi mendalam mengungkapkan beberapa faktor utama yang menyebabkan kurang optimalnya pengoperasian Waduk Uteun Bayi. Pertama, minimnya anggaran operasional pasca pembangunan menyebabkan infrastruktur tidak terawat dan karyawan tidak mendapatkan insentif. Kedua, keterbatasan sumber daya manusia (SDM) yang signifikan, dengan jumlah pegawai menurun dari 3 menjadi hanya 1 penjaga pintu air. Peran Dinas Pekerjaan Umum (PU) dalam proyek ini meliputi perencanaan, koordinasi, pelaksanaan pembangunan fisik, pengawasan kualitas, pemeliharaan, dan pengelolaan dampak lingkungan. Sementara itu, Pemerintah Kota Lhokseumawe bertanggung jawab dalam koordinasi antarinstansi, sosialisasi, pengelolaan infrastruktur, peningkatan kesejahteraan ekonomi masyarakat, pengawasan lingkungan, dan pemberdayaan masyarakat lokal.

Assessment of watershed ecological status and trends is challenging for managers who lack randomly or consistently sampled data, or monitoring programs developed from a watershed perspective. This study investigated analytical approaches for assessment of status and trends using data collected by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency as part of state requirements for reporting stream quality and managing discharge permits. Fish and benthic macroinvertebrate metrics collected during three time periods (1979-1981, 1986-1989, 1990-1993) were analyzed for the mainstem of Big Darby Creek, a high-quality warm-water stream in central Ohio, USA. Analysis of variance of transformed metrics showed significant differences among time periods for six fish metrics. In addition, significant positive linear trends were observed for four metrics plus the index of biotic integrity score, and negative linear trends for two fish metrics. An analysis of a subset of sites paired by location and sampled over the three periods reflected findings using all available data for the mainstem. In particular, mean estimates were very similar between the reduced and full data sets, whereas standard error estimates were much greater in the reduced subset. Analysis of serial autocorrelation patterns among the fish metrics over the three time periods suggests changes in the nature of stressors over time. A comparison within the most recent time period showed significantly better condition for Big Darby Creek mainstem than for Hellbranch Run (the easternmost subwatershed), after adjusting for watershed size. The consistency of paired and nonrandomized results suggested that either type of data might be judiciously used for this watershed assessment. Results indicated that overall biological condition of the mainstem of the Big Darby Creek watershed has significantly improved since the early 1980s.

The watershed of the Pirajibu-Mirim River, in Sorocaba-SP, contributes to production and the municipal water supply, and is located in a high-priority region for the implementation of a Payment for Environmental Services (PES) program. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the conservation of its water springs and environmental compliance

Watershed management varies greatly across the world. Local conditions are generally dictated by how watershed management is regulated at national, regional, and local scales. Both multisectoral and community-based participatory involvement in watershed management can positively impact the quality and effectiveness of outcomes. This localization can also be vital to the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In recent years, the term “sustainability” has become overused, has limited quantifiable meaning, and can create “fuzzy” targets. We suggest that an outcome that focuses on “thrivability” is more appropriate; this refers to the ability to not only sustain positive conditions for future generations but to create conditions that allow for all living things (present and future) to have the ability and opportunity to thrive. A thrivability approach aligns with the 2030 Agenda’s ultimate goal: prosperity for all beings on earth. This study uses a thrivability lens to ...

The study was carried out in the watershed of Oued El Abid that is located upstream of the Bin El Ouidane Dam in Morocco. Looking for a sustainable watershed management practices, we estimated soil losses from the river basin and the sediment yield deposited in the dam of Bin El Ouidane, using the Intensity of Erosion and Outflow-IntErO model, based on the Erosion Potential Method-EPM. The watershed of the lake receiving the waters and sediments from the two mean water courses Oued El Abid and Assif Ahansal, therefore before to proceed the calculation, the watershed was divided in two sub basins; the soil erosion and sediment yield were calculated for each sub basin. The result of calculation for the studied Oued El Abid river basin showed that the production of erosion material in the river basin is 3.960.115 m³yr-1. Coefficient of the deposit retention, calculated using the IntErO model, was 0.3 and as a consequence, real soil losses were calculated on 1.188.657 m³yr-1 ; specific real soil losses per km 2 402 m³km 2 yr-1. Our findings, based on Gavrilovic classification, pointed out that the studied area is with a medium potential of soil erosion risk, due to the steep land slope and low vegetation cover in the watershed. The model outcome is validated using the Bathymetry measurements in the Dam of Bin El Ouidane.

Injustices occur when human law and social practice ignore natural processes and when those who plan, design and build the city focus on a neighbourhood's problems and fail to recognize its resources. The story of the Mill Creek neighbourhood in Philadelphia illustrates these themes. Mill Creek is shaped by all the processes at work in inner-city America. It was laid waste by the flow of water and capital, and by the violence of redevelopment and neglect. Known locally as 'The Bottom', Mill Creek is one of many such 'Black Bottoms' in the US. They are at the bottom, economically, socially and topographically. Here, harsh socioeconomic conditions and racial discrimination are exacerbated by health and safety hazards posed by a high water table and unstable ground. Landscape literacy is a means for recognizing and redressing those injustices through urban planning and design and community development, just as verbal literacy was a cornerstone of the American Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. KEY WORDS: Landscape history, environmental education, community development, watershed management, urban design and planning Mill Creek The Mill Creek neighbourhood of West Philadelphia is a place of many puzzles. Within its street grid of three-storey brick rowhouses with small porches, are other types of dwellings: a Georgian mansion, single-family homes on large lots, tiny rowhouses with no yard and tall towers of concrete. The amount of open land in Mill Creek is striking, especially in contrast to the dense fabric of small rowhouses. Much open land is covered by rubble and grasses; in some places trees have grown 20 feet high. On some blocks, only one house or one small lot is vacant; in other areas, houses have sagging porches and crumbling foundations, and there are almost as many vacant lots as buildings. Blocks of vacant land and wasted structures border blocks of well-tended houses and gardens. Boarded-up storefronts speak of failed ventures, but other institutions, such as the numerous community gardens, flourish. Mill Creek is among the poorest neighbourhoods in

As China’s largest clean energy group and the world’s largest hydropower development company, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) accounts for 3/4 of hydropower installed capacity, where most of which are distributed in the Yangtze River Basin. Since 2017, CTG has formally entered the field of water pollution control, taking the “water” as the core and the sewage treatment of cities/towns along the river as an entry point. From a technical point of view, with the advantages of hydropower dispatching and operation, the integration of water resources protection, water pollution control, as well as water ecological restoration will be gradually completed to achieve the “one water” control goal. From a management point of view, through the means of government-enterprise cooperation model, the establishment of a jointly sharing mechanism by relevant stakeholders, as well as the market-oriented commercial operation, the implementation and supervision of the watershed administration will ...

As China's largest clean energy group and the world's largest hydropower development company, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) accounts for 3/4 of hydropower installed capacity, where most of which are distributed in the Yangtze River Basin. Since 2017, CTG has formally entered the field of water pollution control, taking the "water" as the core and the sewage treatment of cities/towns along the river as an entry point. From a technical point of view, with the advantages of hydropower dispatching and operation, the integration of water resources protection, water pollution control, as well as water ecological restoration will be gradually completed to achieve the "one water" control goal. From a management point of view, through the means of government-enterprise cooperation model, the establishment of a jointly sharing mechanism by relevant stakeholders, as well as the market-oriented commercial operation, the implementation and supervision of the watershed administration will be strengthened. CTG has started a new exploration of enterprises participating in the comprehensive governance of watershed management, which will provide ecological priority and sustainable development experience for the watershed management of the world. Résumé. En tant que plus grand groupe d'énergie propre de Chine et plus grande société de développement hydroélectrique au monde, China Three

Groundwater is considered as one of the most remarkable sources of fresh water. The aim of the current research is to apply four machine learning models of Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Bioclim, and Domain to groundwater potential mapping in Kahurestan watershed, Hormozgan province. The innovation of the research is to employ Bioclim and Domain algorithms to groundwater potential simulation, to compare them with the two techniques of RF and SVM and to combine these four models by an innovative and new equation. For this purpose, 11 criteria including slope percent, slope aspect, plan curvature, profile curvature, soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI), slope length and steepness factor (LS), stream power index (SPI), topographic wetness index (TWI), land use, and distance to streams were considered. Also, the data of 113 high-discharge wells were used for simulation (70%) and validation (30%)processes. The collinearity test was performed prior to modeling which indicated that there was no relationship between the variables. Evaluation of the modeling performance with the ROC curve showed that all four methods used had very good accuracies and AUC values higher than 90% for prediction. The survey on the weight of the criteria based on the RF method demonstrated that the land use/cover and distance to streams criteria has the highest weight. The final map revealed that 21.4% of the area under study has good groundwater potential.

Groundwater is considered as one of the most remarkable sources of fresh water. The aim of the current research is to apply four machine learning models of Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Bioclim, and Domain to groundwater potential mapping in Kahurestan watershed, Hormozgan province. The innovation of the research is to employ Bioclim and Domain algorithms to groundwater potential simulation, to compare them with the two techniques of RF and SVM and to combine these four models by an innovative and new equation. For this purpose, 11 criteria including slope percent, slope aspect, plan curvature, profile curvature, soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI), slope length and steepness factor (LS), stream power index (SPI), topographic wetness index (TWI), land use, and distance to streams were considered. Also, the data of 113 high-discharge wells were used for simulation (70%) and validation (30%)processes. The collinearity test was performed prior to modeling which indicated that there was no relationship between the variables. Evaluation of the modeling performance with the ROC curve showed that all four methods used had very good accuracies and AUC values higher than 90% for prediction. The survey on the weight of the criteria based on the RF method demonstrated that the land use/cover and distance to streams criteria has the highest weight. The final map revealed that 21.4% of the area under study has good groundwater potential.

The WaNuLCAS (Water, Nutrient and Light Capture in Agroforestry Systems) model was used to investigate the impact of tree leafing phenology on the growth and water use of selected agroforestry tree species in semi-arid Central Kenya. Three agroforestry species, grevillea (Grevillea robusta), alnus (Alnus acuminate) and paulownia (Paulownia fortunei), respectively providing evergreen, semi-deciduous and deciduous leafing phenologies, were intercropped with maize. It was hypothesized that the deciduous habit of alnus and paulownia would reduce demand for water relative to the evergreen grevillea under conditions of limited supplies. WaNuLCAS simulations showed that altering leafing phenology from evergreen through semi-deciduous to deciduous decreased water uptake and interception losses by the trees, but increased crop water uptake, drainage and soil evaporation rates for systems containing all three tree species. Drainage and soil evaporation were respectively 14 and 17% greater in ...

Land use suitability analysis is one of the basic approaches in planning. This process is complex and multidimensional, and a large amount of variables must be considered at the same time. With recent technological advances, many opportunities have been provided to process large amounts of data in planning and decision-making processes. Methods based on spatial information and planning support systems are useful tools. In this research, combining GIS capabilities with the planning support system has presented a method to evaluate the suitability of urban land in the Kyzylorda region, Kazakhstan for use. This system, as one of these efficient tools, can help the planners in identifying useful works or policies by considering a large number of different indicators, the most favorable areas for each type of user in real time, and also provides the possibility of participation. Among all the changes, the most worrying situation is for agricultural lands. The results show that land use changes are the expansion of urban and industrial areas and the reduction of agricultural land use. Agricultural lands and gardens in 2023 included 180,000 hectares and could decrease to 105,000 hectares by 2050, i.e., a loss of 75,000 hectares compared to the coverage of agricultural lands and gardens in 2023. The results of the present study, based on the expansion of urban and industrial activities and the reduction of agricultural land in the region, require more attention from environmental planners for better decision-making and management.

Water resource managers seeking to optimize stream ecosystem services and abstractions of water from watersheds need an understanding of the importance of land use, physical and climatic characteristics, and hydrography on different low flow components of stream hydrographs. Within 33 USGS gaged watersheds of southern New England, we assessed relationships between watershed variables and a set of low flow parameters by using an information-theoretical approach. The key variables identified by the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) weighting factors as generating positive relationships with low flow events included percent stratified drift, mean elevation, drainage area, and mean August precipitation. The extent of wetlands in the watershed was negatively related to low flow magnitudes. Of the various land use variables, the percentage of developed land was found to have the highest importance and a negative relationship on low flow magnitudes, but was less important than wetlands and physical and climatic features. Our results suggest that management practices aimed to sustain low flows in fluvial systems can benefit from attention to specific watershed features. We draw attention to the finding that streams located in watersheds with high proportions of wetlands may require more stringent approaches to withdrawals to sustain fluvial ecosystems during drought periods, particularly in watersheds with extensive development and limited deposits of stratified drift.

While all reasonable care has been taken in the preparation of the material in this document, the Western Australian Government and its officers accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions it may contain, whether caused by negligence, or otherwise or for any loss, however caused, sustained by any person who relies on it.

This paper explores di¤erent organizational forms in terms of their ability to generate information about investment projects and allocate capital to these projects e¢ciently. A decentralized approach-with small, single-manager …rms-is most likely to be attractive when information about individual projects is "non-veri…able" and cannot be credibly transmitted. Moreover, holding …xed …rm size, non-veri…able information also favors ‡atter organizations with fewer layers of management. In contrast, large hierarchical …rms with multiple layers of management are at comparative advantage when information can be costlessly "veri…ed" and passed along within the hierarchy. As a concrete application of the theory , the paper discusses the consequences of consolidation in the banking industry. It has been documented that when large banks acquire small banks, there is a pronounced decline in lending to small businesses. To the extent that small-business lending relies heavily on non-veri…able information, this is exactly what the theory would lead one to expect. We have received helpful comments from Ron Anderson and Olivier renault (LSE); Financial Support of the Belgian French Community is gratefully acknowledged

In this research, sediment yield was assessed by comparing the measured and predicted sediment yield by semi-quantitative PSIAC model in Sbna-2 dam catchment, Duhok, Kurdistan region of Iraq. The PSIAC is applicable and cheap model to evaluate soil erosion and sediment yield in areas with insufficient and less data. The comparison between observed and estimated sediment yield by PSIAC model showed PSIAC model was under estimated sediment yield compare with the observed one. Amount of the percentage difference is 91% (0.066 versus 0.025 t ha-1 y-1). This difference is expressed PSIAC model cannot be used in all watersheds as well and the scoring for each factor cannot be used in areas were the watershed characteristics are not similar to the development area of the model. Therefore it is necessary before using the erosion-sediment model, it should be calibrated based on the existing condition first, then evaluated for the studied watershed.

In many developing countries with poorly managed landscapes, soil erosion threatens the sustainability of water bodies. The main limitations of this study are the lack of daily sediment data, lithology, higher-resolution DEM data, and socioeconomic factors. Poor land use policy and resource management in the Upper Awash Sub-basin lead to soil erosion and sedimentation of hydrological infrastructure, Effective watershed prioritization requires integrating land use, hydrology, sediment load, and morphometric factors but often faces gaps, especially in the study area. This research aims to prioritise the Upper Awash Sub-Basin by its morphometric, land use and cover (LULC), and sediment yield characteristics. We used the integrated AHP-VIKOR multi-attribute decision-making method to prioritise watersheds, incorporating morphometry, LULC, and sediment load attributes in the simple matrix approach. The findings showed the following classes of erosion: exceedingly high (2722.14 km 2), high (2524.46 km 2), moderate (2205.48 km 2), low (1611.43 km 2), and extremely low (854.35 km 2). Sub-watersheds WS6, WS8, WS10, WS13, and WS24 are the top priority for watershed management. The study ranked watersheds based on various attributes but encountered limitations such as the lack of daily sediment data, geological structure, and lithology. It can be concluded that this approach is very important to identify and categorize

Dynamic stall is a phenomenon which appears due to the vortex shedding on the oscillating wing section at high angles of attack. Occurrence of the dynamic stall causes a severe decrease in the lift force and huge increase in the drag force. The Co-Flow Jet (CFJ) is one of the active flow controls to prevent this phenomenon. In this paper, the effect of this active flow control on the NACA 0025 airfoil for different Reynolds numbers is investigated. For numerical solution of the fluid flow, the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations in two-dimensional, incompressible, and unsteady form with the SST-k-ω turbulence model is solved using an in-house computer code. The developed code is validated with the previous experiment data, and a fairly good agreement is observed. In order to investigate the effects of the CFJ, three different momentum coefficients of 0.05, 0.07 and 0.08 and five Reynolds numbers of 5×10 4 , 7.5×10 4 , 10 5 , 1.5×10 5 , and 3×10 5 are studied. It is found in the examined cases that the baseline airfoil in the Reynolds numbers of 10 5 and lower has different behavior compared to the higher Reynolds numbers; while in order to eliminate the dynamic stall, it requires more jet momentum of 0.08, while for the higher investigated Reynolds numbers, by applying the jet momentum of 0.07, the dynamic stall is completely eliminated.

This article analyzes how a coalition between working-class residents and activist academics pushed for water justice in the urban periphery of Mexico City over the course of a 10-year period. It shows how the coproduction of a water basin as a territory unsettled traditional administrative categories and empowered local residents to both better understand the place they live and to advocate for themselves. Although unequal, the alliance functioned precisely because of the complementary skills each group brought to the table.

Pemerintah Kota Semarang berkolaborasi dalam menangani banjir dan rob. Beberapa projek besar seperti jalan tol tanggul laut, pembuatan kolam retensi dan rumah pompa, normalisasi sungi, pembuatan tampungan embung di daerah hulu. Infrastruktur tersebut sifatnya hanya menahan, memindahkan, dan menampung dengan kapasitas serta durasi yang terbatas. Dengan adanya Pipa Resapan Horisontal (PRH) yang sudah terpasang maka perlu adanya evaluasi terhadap beberapa aspek. Dalam penelitian ini aspek yang akan ditinjau adalah evaluasi dari segi pemasangan PRH, sudah memenuhi standar teknis atau belum. Peneliti akan melakukan evaluasi fisik pemasangan yang ada di lokasi Kecamatan Gajahmungkur sebanyak 52 titik. Berdasarkan penilaian fisik dan pembobotan maka diperoleh hasil pada Lokasi Gajahmungkur kondisinya adalah cukup dengan nilai 8087.5 atau 80,87%. Perlu adanya aktivitas operasional dan maintenance pada masing-masing PRH seperti membersihkan sedimen yang ada didalam PRH dengan melakukan flushing, atau pengangkatan pipa PRH, agar PRH dapat berfungsi secara efektif. Perlu dilakukan evaluasi efektivitas resapan lanjutan terhadap PRH yang sudah terpasang.

The Andean region of Ecuador is characterized by extreme poverty caused by low agricultural productivity, limited off-farm opportunities, and lack of access to markets. Poverty is related to degradation of natural resources as lagging agricultural productivity leads to incursions into fragile areas and use of erosive farming techniques on steeply sloped hillsides. Food production in fragile areas degrades soil and water resources, contributes to deforestation and loss of biodiversity, and reduces productive potential over time. This article discusses an agricultural development project designed to reduce the long-term downward development spiral in a watershed in Bolivar, Ecuador. The applied research program began with analysis of the state of soil resources, water, and biodiversity in the Chimbo sub-watershed. This information was used to design a plan with the input of local stake-holders to introduce environmentally friendly farming practices, soil and water conservation techniques, and various institutional innovations to promote resource conservation. This adaptive management program has been a solid success. This article describes the project, the challenges it faced, and how the process of adaptive management led to consensus among stakeholders about the appropriateness of sustainable management practices. We show how implementation of enhanced management practices contribute to reduced environmental vulnerability and improved welfare.

Remote sensing and GIS techniques are used as effective tools for morphometric analysis. Morphometric analysis classification is the most commonly adopted method for waterhed analysis. This method is helpful in conserving water resources by analyzing the drainage aspects of the catchment area. This study was conducted in Amarpatan block of Satna district, Madhya Pradesh. Morphometric features were analyzed using Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and ArcGIS software. The area was divided into 6 sub-watersheds. Stream order was determined from first to sixth order, which shows the dendritic drainage pattern. The parameters of morphometric analysis are measured as linear, aerial, and relief aspects (e.g., stream order, drainage density, stream frequency, bifurcation ratio, elongation ratio, etc.). The analysis contributes to understanding watershed management sites for the conservation of soil and water. This study provides information to policy makers for sustainable water resources development and management.

Farmers operate on 915 million acres of farmland, or about 40 percent of all land in the United States. They are critically important stewards of the soil, wildlife, and water resources sharing that landscape. The long-term viability of their farming businesses depends on the good management of these agriculturally influenced ecosystems. But farmers are facing unprecedented challenges to meet food production demands, remain economically viable, and solve water quality problems associated with food, fiber, and energy production. Over 15,000 water bodies are listed as "impaired" because of pollution from excess nutrients associated with cropland, pastureland, grazing land, and animal feeding areas. And many more water bodies are impaired by agriculture-related sediment, livestock pathogens, and pesticides. These frequently invisible problems can limit the use of rivers and lakes for drinking water, recreational activities, aquatic habitat, and more. This report recommends a set of actions that could be taken by USDA, EPA, Congress, charitable foundations, and the corporate supply chain communities to help RCPP projects realize their full potential. If these stakeholders make the program changes, provide the increased funding, and disseminate the technical guidance called for in this report, RCPP project leaders will be able to quantify conservation results, at both watershedand field-scale. Not only will this demonstrate how farmers are good stewards of the land, but it will provide solid evidence that voluntary, incentivebased conservation works.

"COVID-19: Como Grandes Crises Podem Estimular a Inovação" examina como a pandemia impulsionou transformações significativas em ciência, tecnologia e sociedade. A obra reflete sobre inovações surgidas em resposta à crise, desde vacinas desenvolvidas em tempo recorde até mudanças nos hábitos diários, como o trabalho remoto e o uso de máscaras.
Com uma abordagem crítica, o livro questiona se a inovação deve depender de crises, ao mesmo tempo que celebra exemplos locais e globais de resiliência e adaptação. É uma reflexão sobre os desafios e as oportunidades de transformação no mundo pós-COVID-19, convidando o leitor a repensar o futuro com base nas lições do passado recente.

In a natural ecosystem, there is a close relationship between natural enemies and environmental factors. Use of Geographic Information System (GIS) in analysis of spatial patterns of pest populations has increased during recent years. The purpose of this study was using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to determine the relationship in predatory ladybird, Exochomus nigripennis (Erichson) for biological control of the sucking pests. In order to determine the suitable areas for activity of E. nigripennis, the variables of temperature, humidity, rainfall, elevation and nutrition were selected as the most important criteria. The basis of AHP is the pair comparison of options and the possibility of examining different scenarios. ArcMap 10.1 and ArcCatalog 10.1 softwares were used to form spatial data and related analytics. The results indicated that nearly 4.34% of the province's regions, including some parts of Taft, Abarkuh and Mehriz were very good for activity and nearly 17.07% of the province's areas, such as the major part of Ardakan, Bahabad and Meybod were determined as very unsuitable for activity. Furthermore, comparison of the studied factors showed temperature with the final weight of 0.0529 is the most important factor influencing the activity of E. nigripennis and nutrition, humidity, elevation and rainfall are important in the next categories, respectively.

Collaborative governance is considered effective in environmental problem solving. However, it is not always successful in delivering benefits. In Finland, collaborative ‘watershed visions’ are gaining popularity as a way to advance holistic water management. Watershed visions bring the public, private, and civil society actors across sectors together to agree on a desired future for a river basin and to plan steps for achieving it. The capability of watershed visions to lead to positive environmental impacts is, however, highly uncertain. We applied a Theory of Change approach to conceptualize an outcome-oriented impact pathway for the watershed visions to enhance the understanding of their possibilities to achieve their desired long-term impacts. Using empirical material, we structured a watershed vision process into an impact pathway of nine phases necessary for achieving the desired future. From each phase, we identified assumptions suggesting why and under what conditions the impact pathway successfully works, risks to its realization, and key uncertainties inherent to the risks. Focusing on the uncertainties, we developed a tool for ex-ante, interim, and ex-post evaluation of the watershed visions. We suggest that a longitudinal Theory of Change is a useful tool for addressing change and managing uncertainty in any collaborative process with long-term aims, and that applying this tool can increase the success of collaborative governance.

Spring-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) have an unusual life history pattern in that they move into their spawning streams in the spring, hold there all summer in deep pools, and then spawn in the fall. Populations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin and Klamath-Trinity drainages have declined dramatically in recent years perhaps due to their exceptional vulnerability to the negative effects of water diversions (e.g. low flows/high temperatures) and human disturbances in their stream habitat. We examined the limits of pool holding capacity under varying conditions of temperature, flow, and human use primarily in a 2.3 km study stretch in the upper reaches of Deer Creek (Tehama County) during 1991. We found some evidence that spring-run chinook salmon continually move upstream over the summer. However, pool depth also affected the presence of adult salmon. The number of salmon counted reached an asymptote in many pools over the summer, suggesting that pools have a limited holding capacity. Human rafting activity caused an increase in salmon movement in pools, and may stress salmon if it is a common activity. We documented substantial evidence of possible harassment and poaching of salmon in a 2.3 km study stretch of Deer Creek during 1991. This evidence included the presence of heavy line and treble hooks in pools containing adult salmon, and we even observed people with snorkeling equipment trying to capture adult salmon with a dipnet.

Collaborative governance is considered effective in environmental problem solving. However, it is not always successful in delivering benefits. In Finland, collaborative 'watershed visions' are gaining popularity as a way to advance holistic water management. Watershed visions bring the public, private, and civil society actors across sectors together to agree on a desired future for a river basin and to plan steps for achieving it. The capability of watershed visions to lead to positive environmental impacts is, however, highly uncertain. We applied a Theory of Change approach to conceptualize an outcome-oriented impact pathway for the watershed visions to enhance the understanding of their possibilities to achieve their desired long-term impacts. Using empirical material, we structured a watershed vision process into an impact pathway of nine phases necessary for achieving the desired future. From each phase, we identified assumptions suggesting why and under what conditions the impact pathway successfully works, risks to its realization, and key uncertainties inherent to the risks. Focusing on the uncertainties, we developed a tool for ex-ante, interim, and ex-post evaluation of the watershed visions. We suggest that a longitudinal Theory of Change is a useful tool for addressing change and managing uncertainty in any collaborative process with long-term aims, and that applying this tool can increase the success of collaborative governance.

Près de 40 % du bassin hydrographique Rhône-Méditerranée-Corse (RMC) se trouve en situation de déséquilibre quantitatif. Ces déséquilibres, exacerbés en période d’étiage, engendrent des impacts environnementaux majeurs sur les écosystèmes d'eau douce et le bien-être des personnes qui dépendent de ces écosystèmes. Afin d’aborder cette problématique de la réallocation de l’eau à l’environnement et de la satisfaction des usages anthropiques, Les Services de l’Etat et l’Agence de l’eau RMC ont mis en oeuvre les Études de Volumes Prélevables (EVP) qui suivent une méthodologie spécifique centrée sur la détermination de Débits Minimums Biologiques (DMB) et des volumes disponibles 4 années sur 5 pour des usages anthropiques.
Les méthodes utilisées dans les études de volumes prélevables, ainsi que les résultats qui en découlent, ont été fréquemment contestés et ont pu générer des situations conflictuelles. Afin d’éclairer ces tensions et débats entre acteurs, nous avons réalisé une analyse détaillée des 11 EVP de la partie méditerranéenne de la région Occitanie afin d’appréhender la robustesse de ces études en fonction de l’hétérogénéité des contextes, et de comprendre comment la méthode est appliquée à chaque étape du processus. Nos résultats montrent une grande sensibilité de la méthode à l’incertitude sur les données et aux hypothèses faites et que de nombreux ajustements sont effectués à différentes étapes de la méthodologie. Un tiers des valeurs de Débits d’Objectif d’Etiage (DOE) notifiées par l’Administration, par exemple, se superposent à la réglementation des débits réservés des 10ème et 20ème du module, suggérant un rabattement de valeurs de DOE plus élevées. Dans 20 % des cas les valeurs de DMB définies par les EVP ont également été ajustées par les services de l’Etat. Des efforts de réduction de prélèvement sont demandés aux usagers dans plus de la moitié des cas (parfois jusqu'à 100% de baisse des prélèvements à l’étiage). La relative robustesse de la méthode suscite des interrogations sur sa pertinence car sa légitimée repose sur sa scientificité affichée.

Partners and institutions • 36 scenarios based on 3 types of social networks, 2 rainfall patterns, and 6 water exchange protocols were simulated to look for the viable ones. These scenarios are yet to be discussed with the stakeholders (Fig. 4). • To examine the complexity of resource management among heterogeneous users, their coordination, innovative approaches are needed to facilitate understanding and learning, mediation, and the emergence of management regimes that fulfill the aspirations of stakeholders and yet ensure the sustainability of the resource base.

Extended Abstract
Background: Decreasing or increasing diversity affects a community’s sustainability because biodiversity in any living community determines its specific function, and on the other hand, sustainability is considered the ability of an ecosystem to preserve and maintain its function. At the same time as the global threats of climate change and the increase in harvesting intensity in the last few decades, ecosystem functions have been the focus of many researchers. Due to the impact of biodiversity on the protection of different ecosystem functions, many studies have investigated biodiversity indicators and ecosystem functions in different environmental conditions. In the present study, species diversity (richness, Shannon-Wiener, Simpson, and evenness) and functional (functional richness, functional evenness, functional divergence, and CWM indices) indices were used to investigate their relationships with different grazing managements (light and heavy) and two different climates in the basins of Mazandaran province. This research aims to determine the role of variables influencing plant diversity and the pasture ecosystem functioning to help better manage summer pastures that play a protective role for downstream areas in watersheds.
Methods: The effects of livestock grazing were investigated on the diversity of two selected watersheds, Zaremrood and Cheshmehkileh, in the east and west of Mazandaran province. After determining plant types in each of the areas, light and heavy grazing sites were determined based on the accessibility and distance to sources, such as livestock husbandry, watering places, and roads. For sampling in the sites, the northern slopes with the same slope (0-20%) were selected to ensure homogeneity. Sampling was done using five main plots (10 × 10 m) so that three plots (1 × 1 m2) were within each plot. Thus, a total of 15 plots were used in each grazing site (light and heavy), and a total of 30 plots were used in the random-systematic design. To measure functional diversity indicators, the easily measurable functional characteristics of plants related to the level of ecosystem functioning were selected and measured in addition to species abundance data. Based on experts, opinions and a review of available sources, five traits (leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf specific area index, plant height, and leaf dry weight) were used to determine functional diversity. Species diversity indices were calculated in PAST software by calculating three indices of species diversity, including species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity, and Simpson diversity. Data were statistically compared using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) in the form of the general linear model (GLM) and principal component analysis (PCA) to separate the grazing regions that can be separated using functional diversity indices.

Results: The dependent variables (weighted average of leaf area and dry matter content) were significantly different in various climates and different livestock grazing patterns. Similarly, the independent variables (area and livestock grazing) were significantly different from the variables of species richness, Shannon-Wiener, and weighted average of leaf area. In the light grazing site of Chashtkhoran rangelands in the Cheshmeh-Kileh basin, the indices, including Simpson (P-value = 0.000), Shannon-Wiener (P-value = 0.000), functional richness (P-value = 0.001), and functional divergence (P-value = 0.08), were more than the heavy grazing site in the Mianband rangeland of the Zaremrood basin. Moreover, the weighted average of the leaf area (P-value = 0.001) was greater in the Chashtkhoran area under light grazing than in the Mianband rangeland. It was higher in the heavy grazing of the Mianband than in the Chashtkhoran Rangeland, but the weighted average of the dry matter content (P-value = 0.001) was vice versa. According to the PCA results, the first component belonged to Simpson, Shannon-Wiener, functional richness, and functional divergence, and the second component is related to evenness, functional evenness, the weighted average of leaf area, the weighted average of dry matter content, and height mean. Due to their high impact, therefore, these factors were identified as the most effective factors in separating areas under light and heavy grazing. The first and second components explain 36.3% and 19.8% of the changes, respectively.
Conclusion: The significant interaction between climate and grazing shows that the difference between the light and heavy grazing areas of the two climate zones is characterized by two variables, viz. the weighted averages of leaf area and dry matter content. The leaf area showed higher values for heavy grazing plots in the dry region, and this factor was greater in the light grazing of the humid region. This study highlights the importance of grazing control as an effective management tool for vegetation conservation. It seems that the plant composition in the mountainous rangelands of Iran is more influenced by grazing intensity than climate differences.

Extended Abstract
Background: Soil organic carbon is one of the important parameters to determine soil fertility, and production ability and a mind index for showing soil quality of dry and semi-dry lands. On the other hand, rangelands are one of the main dry ecosystems of carbon reservoirs. Knowing about carbon reservoir distribution and changes for detecting the controller mechanisms of the carbon world cycle and carbon stability is vital for managing ranges. Since field operations include soil sampling from different places and depths to measure the amount of soil carbon sequestration, it is very time-consuming and costly., On the other hand, different soil characteristics may be measured and available in many rangeland areas for other purposes using modeling and prediction under various inputs, including soil properties such as texture, acidity, electrical conductivity, etc. Researchers in the rangeland field can estimate and evaluate soil carbon. Novel prediction methods, including artificial intelligence, are of high interest in this field. The present research aims to study the ability of the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to predict the carbon sequestration (CS) of rangeland soil.
Methods: The studied area in this research includes the rangelands of the southwestern slopes of Mount Damavand in the Lar watershed with an area of about 2000 hectares and an altitude between 2500 and 3460. With a statistical climate period of 36 years, it is a semi-humid to ultra-cold region where the average rainfall is 550 mm. Dominant plant species in the region are Onobrychis cornuta, Astragalus ochrodeucus, Astragalus microcephalus, Thymus pubescens, etc. Considering the Lar watershed region geographic conditions, four height groups relative to sea level, including height group 1 (2500-2700 m), group 2 (2700-2900 m), group 3 (2900-3100 m), and group 4 (3100-up m) were selected for sampling soil at different depths in this research. Thirteen random points were determined at all height groups, and three samples from each point were dug at depths 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm. In total, 312 soil samples were collected in the entire region and transferred to a soil science laboratory, where soil characteristics (texture, organic carbon, and bulk gravity) were measured as an average of three repetitions. These characteristics were used to calculate the amount of soil carbon deposition. After soil sampling and measuring the amount of carbon sequestration under the effect of soil depth and height in the sampling location at the Mount Damavand rangelands at the Lar watershed region, the regression and ANFIS prediction equations were developed and their accuracy was compared together for CS prediction plus introducing the more accurate approach. The root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (R2) were applied to evaluate the regression and ANFIS models. The regression analysis was performed using the SPSS20 software. Excel software was used to draw descriptive charts. ANFIS modeling was created in MATLAB software and is based on the input/output dataset of a fuzzy inference system (FIS). This system is based on the combination of three components: membership functions of input and output variables (fuzzification), fuzzy rules (rule base), mechanism inference (a combination of rules with fuzzy input), output characteristics, and results of the system (de-fuzzification).

Results: The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that only soil sampling depth significantly affected the soil CS, but the effect of sampling location and the interaction effect of depth and height were not significant. More amount of CS was obtained at a depth of 15-30 cm than at a depth of 0-15 cm, and the utmost amount of CS was measured in gang 4 of height (3119-3545 m) at both depths. The highest amount of CS (604656) belonged to gang 4 of height and a depth of 15-30 cm. In fact, the amount of soil CS increased at higher and lower altitudes while its amount decreased at medium altitudes. After gang 4 of height, the second most CS was recorded for the gang 1 of height. In the modeling part, the ANFIS model with higher accuracy (R2 = 0.4736) and lower error (RMSE = 0.0274) predicted the soil CS related to
a regression model with lower accuracy (R2 = 0.4308) and higher error (RMSE = 0.069). This result indicates the higher ability of the ANFIS model than the regression model in creating a relationship between input and output and its proximity to the measured values.
Conclusion: The increase in the correlation coefficient and the reduction of the mean error deviation in the ANFIS method compared to the linear multivariate regression show that the ANFIS method is more successful in estimating the amount of soil CS under the effects of various factors in the studied land use. The better performance of the ANFIS model than statistical regression methods can be found in its estimation and prediction capability for the nonlinear estimation with a small amount of data. This is despite the fact that the performance and accuracy of regression methods strongly depend on the sample size, and a small sample size can be a limiting factor in such statistical models. The adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) satisfied operation in predicting rangeland soil CS under the different sampling depths and heights. Furthermore, it will be used as an intelligent tool for predicting different parameters in studied ranges and rangeland science, such as above and underground biomass volume, distribution of rangeland plant species, and so on.

Extended Abstract
Background: As a public belief, religion has always played a fundamental role in the development and strengthening of social institutions. Since the creation of mankind, religion has not only acted as a personal guide but also as a measure for regulating social behaviors and has played an important role in various areas, including natural resource management. One of the interesting patterns in the relationship between religion and nature is the connection formed based on the significance and sanctity of water in religious teachings. In this context, water is introduced as a symbol of purity, innocence, and spiritual health. According to this pattern, spiritual health, which refers to a deep connection to religious and divine values, plays a key role in regulating religious, civic, and individual relationships. Despite the great importance of this topic, few studies have investigated the role of religious beliefs in the consumption of natural resources, especially in Islamic societies. This shortage of research is largely due to the cultural and social challenges associated with studying such topics, avoided by many researchers. In reality, people’s religious beliefs and attitudes are often naturally inspired by nature and its resources, among which water is one of the most vital elements of nature, playing a crucial role in the survival and life of humanity. Islam, particularly in its Qur'anic teachings, repeatedly emphasizes the importance of water conservation and careful use. The Holy Qur'an refers to water as the source of life and stresses the need to care for this divine blessing. Alongside these teachings, religious beliefs have always played a central role in shaping people's attitudes and behaviors. One such belief, which is recognized as part of religious practice, is the concept of spiritual health, which refers to an individual's deep connection with religious teachings that can guide them toward more responsible use of natural resources, including water. This connection is not only evident in religious and ritualistic behaviors but also influences everyday life aspects, such as social interactions and the use of natural resources. However, fewer studies have specifically examined the relationship between spiritual health and optimal water use, particularly in Islamic societies. Cultural and social complexities associated with studying such topics have always posed challenges, leading to limited research in this field. Considering the role of water and its connection to religious beliefs and spiritual health, the present study seeks to investigate the relationship between religious attitudes, income levels, and water consumption in the community of Gorgan. This study aims to answer the question: Is there a relationship between individuals' religious attitudes and their water consumption? Additionally, the study explores the influence of other variables, such as gender, income level, family size, and employment status, on water consumption.

Methods: This descriptive-correlational study focuses on the urban population of Gorgan in 2021. A total of 100 individuals were selected from this population using simple random sampling. The samples were selected to ensure diversity in demographic, economic, and cultural characteristics. Standard and validated questionnaires were used as data collection tools, including a Religious Attitude Scale, a Spiritual Health Questionnaire, and a Financial Questionnaire. The Spiritual Health Questionnaire, by Polotzin and Ellison, consists of 20 questions designed to measure two dimensions: religious health and existential health. This questionnaire determines an individual's overall spiritual health score from 0 to 100. The second questionnaire assessed individuals' attitudes toward water consumption and their inclination toward water conservation. This questionnaire included 21 questions to evaluate cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and responsibility dimensions related to water consumption. The validity of these tools was confirmed through content validity, and their reliability was verified using Cronbach's alpha, with values of 0.82 for spiritual health and 0.94 for the water conservation attitude questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Initially, descriptive statistics were employed to describe demographic variables and study indices (mean, standard deviation, and percentages). Then, inferential statistics, including Spearman's correlation coefficient and multivariate regression analysis, were used to examine the relationship between independent variables (spiritual health, gender, income, family size, and employment status) and the dependent variable (water consumption) at a significance level of 0.05. All ethical principles, including informed consent from participants and confidentiality of information, were observed in this study.
Results: A significant positive relationship was observed between spiritual health and water consumption, meaning that individuals with higher spiritual health were more inclined to conserve water. Additionally, a significant relationship was observed between water consumption and age. Older individuals were more likely to conserve water than younger ones. Multivariate regression analysis showed that spiritual health and age were the two main predictors of water-saving behaviors. In other words, an increase in spiritual health and age was significantly associated with a greater tendency toward optimal water use. Other demographic variables, such as gender, income level, employment status, and family size, did not significantly affect water consumption. The results suggest that improving spiritual health can lead to better water consumption behaviors and a reduction in water waste. This impact is particularly noticeable among older individuals.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that spiritual health, as an important and influential factor, plays a key role in improving water consumption behaviors. Strengthening spiritual health and religious beliefs in society, especially in arid and water-scarce regions, can serve as an effective strategy for addressing the water crisis and promoting the optimal use of natural resources. The findings also suggest that age is an important factor in reducing water consumption and encouraging conservation. Therefore, promoting and educating religious concepts related to natural resource conservation and protection, particularly through religious and educational institutions, can play a crucial role in changing water consumption patterns in society. Overall, the results of this study indicate that enhancing spiritual health through education and raising awareness can lead to reduced excessive water consumption and better protection of natural resources. This is especially important in communities facing water scarcity, requiring greater attention from policymakers and cultural and educational planners.

Extended Abstract
Background: The use of groundwater for agricultural, industrial, and drinking purposes is significantly increasing worldwide. These resources are considered an important part of the renewable water ecosystem and have various advantages over surface waters, such as higher quality and less contamination. However, recent intermittent droughts and a noticeable decrease in surface water resources have led to the excessive use of groundwater sources and a decline in their quality. Therefore, understanding the quality of groundwater is crucial for proper planning and management of these resources and requires serious attention and detailed analysis. Additionally, one of the health problems in developing areas is the lack of access to safe drinking water, and human health is at the core of sustainable development in the region. Therefore, ensuring the welfare and health of the community at an acceptable level is not possible without access to clean and standardized drinking water. Water is important from both health and economic perspectives as it serves as a catalyst for industrial growth and the prosperity of the agricultural sector. In this regard, this research aims to evaluate and analyze the quality and spatial changes in groundwater quality based on the GQI assessment index.
Methods: This research focuses on evaluating and analyzing spatial changes in groundwater quality within the study areas of Khanmirza, Lordegan, Boroujen, Ardal, and Kiar, located in  Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, for drinking purposes. Practical information is provided regarding the status of available water resources in the region for drinking purposes. To this aim, 28 groundwater samples were collected from legally operating wells in various locations within the mentioned counties during the  2020-2021 period and subjected to chemical analysis in the laboratory. The GQI (Groundwater Quality Index) was used to assess the quality of these samples for drinking purposes. In this study, the GQI was calculated based on the concentration values of 11 parameters, including electrical conductivity, acidity, total dissolved salts, calcium ion, sodium, magnesium, potassium, carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, and sulfate. Subsequently, spatial zoning of the overall parameter values was performed using the chemical characteristics of the collected samples and employing the inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation method in the GIS software environment, and the desired information layers were obtained in raster format. Furthermore, overlays were performed by applying computational functions to the available information layers,, followed by estimating the GQI values and preparing raster maps of the index. The output maps can be utilized not only to determine the qualitative characteristics within the study area but also to analyze the trends of their variations, prepare zoning maps for  each parameter, and compare them with standard values.

Results: The calculated GQI using measured samples categorizes a significant portion of the  study area within the excellent and good quality categories suitable for drinking. Additionally, the color spectrum of the zoning map indicates better water quality in the western and southern  parts of the study area than in the other sections. Generally, water quality decreases from the south toward the north and northeast. The sensitivity analysis of the model focuses on examining the impact of changing one input variable on a model's output variable. The sensitivity analysis revealed that parameters such as acidity, calcium, magnesium, total dissolved salts, and electrical conductivity had a negative effect (meaning an increase in index values and water quality
improvement after removing these parameters and deterioration with their addition in the index calculation). Conversely, the concentrations of bicarbonate ions, sulfate, sodium, potassium, and chloride had a positive impact on water quality (meaning a decrease in index values and deterioration after removing these parameters and improvement with their addition in the index calculation). These parameters have allocated the highest to lowest changes in estimating the GQI index. Therefore, the GQI quality index shows greater sensitivity to the presence or absence of acidity and calcium bicarbonate than the other parameters used in determining the index, influencing decision-making regarding the classification of drinking water quality more than the other parameters. Despite having higher weights in calculating the index, some parameters show insignificant percentage changes in the index due to their presence or absence. For example, despite a lower weight of bicarbonate than magnesium ions, it shows a higher percentage change in the index after its removal than the percentage change caused by removing magnesium. Thus, higher weights for these components do not necessarily imply greater sensitivity of the model to them.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the groundwater quality in the studied areas is suitable for drinking purposes, and the groundwater in the study area has not been affected by changes resulting from the tested parameters in the drinking sector. Additionally, this study contributes to comprehensive and useful planning for the management and conservation of groundwater resources, enabling more informed decision-making based on groundwater quality maps in this regard.

Extended Abstract
Background: Vegetation is one of the main components of biosphere preservation that acts as a link between soil, water, and atmosphere. It is crucial in providing organic matter, regulating the carbon cycle, and exchanging energy on the surface of the earth. In recent years, climate change and global warming have caused frequent events, such as floods, heat waves, and droughts, which can damage terrestrial ecosystems. Climate change directly affects the growth of vegetation; on the other hand, changes in vegetation cover give feedback to climate change by regulating water, energy exchange, and carbon dioxide concentration.
Methods: The research was carried out in Mazandaran province to analyze vegetation trend in the study area during the 2001-2020 period. The 16-day composite MODIS-NDVI time series data, named MOD13Q1, with a spatial resolution of 250 meters (920 NDVI images) were used for this purpose. The non-parametric Mann-Kendall method was employed to investigate changes in vegetation activity and trend significance. The overlying vegetation trend map and the location of big cities and main roads of the province were also investigated in this research.
Results: A decreasing trend of vegetation cover was observed in 16% of the total studied area, and the rest showed an increasing trend, although the significant decrease and increase of vegetation cover occurred in 5% and 65% of the area, respectively, with a 95% confidence level. The vegetation trend map showed that the most significant reduction of vegetation in the last 20 years occurred in coastal areas and low-altitude regions, especially around big cities and main roads entering the province. Decreased vegetation around the metropolises is expected due to the increase in population and the need for urban development. However, the results showed that the most significant decrease in vegetation occurred in the cities of Mahmudabad (19%), Babolsar (17%), Ghaemshahr (10%), and Jouybar (9%). Unlike the big cities of Sari and Ghaemshahr, the cities of Sorkhrood, Mahmudabad, and Babolsar are at the top of the cities with reductions in vegetation cover in the last 20 years. Unfortunately, this is not due to urban development and increasing population, but drastic changes in the use of agricultural land and citrus orchards and turning them into private villas are the main factor in the reduction of vegetation. Comparing the vegetation trend map with the main roads of the province reveals that a significant reduction of vegetation has occurred around the main roads entering Mazandaran province, especially on the Haraz, Firouzkouh, and Farim roads. In contrast, smaller areas of vegetation cover reduction were observed around the Chalus road.
The investigation of the areas with positive vegetation cover trends showed that the highlands of the province, especially the eastern highlands, experienced a significant increase in vegetation cover. However, a less significant positive trend of vegetation was observed in the western highlands. Rather, most of these areas have experienced no trend conditions in the past 20 years, which could be due to the recent global warming and the higher temperature in the east of the province than in the western regions, which generally has caused suitable temperature conditions for the growth of vegetation in the eastern highlands of the province. It seems that the western highlands still do not have suitable temperature conditions for the growth of vegetation.
Conclusion: The results of this research show that the changes in vegetation in Mazandaran province are under the control of two natural and human factors, and the former (climate) has caused an increase in vegetation in 65% of the area of the province, especially in the highlands, probably caused by the increase in temperature. The recent global warming has made it possible to provide living conditions for plants in the highlands of the province, especially the eastern highlands. Nevertheless, the human factor has been destroying vegetation throughout the province, especially in tourist areas and those with easy access. As such, a significant trend of vegetation reduction was observed both on the coasts, around metropolises, in the heart of the Hyrkan forests, and in the heights near the main roads. A significant decrease in vegetation cover has occurred in 5% of the area of the province, and these decreases were observed mostly in the plains, coastal strip, low altitudes with low slopes, outskirts of cities, and roads of the studied area. Vegetation is also being destroyed in the marginal areas of the roads from Ramsar to the neighboring western province, Gorgan Sari, Tehran, Chalus, Haraz, and Firuzkouh, which can be the main reason for the increase in traffic load, changes in land use, and the construction of recreational facilities and villas. Based on the results of this research, extreme changes in land use in the last 20 years are very evident, and if the human process of land use change continues along with the loss of water and soil resources, we may see irreparable blows to the ecosystem of the Caspian systems in the near future.