Assessment of the Environmental Effects of the Tourism Project in Darreh-Gerdoo Arak

Despite the vast benefits of tourism industry in improving people’s economic and social conditions, if the expansion of this industry does not accompany with environmental policies and plans, also does not emphasize the sustainability of development, and is not considered as a comprehensive dynamic range, it can have many negative effects on the environment in the medium-run. In this regard, environmental impact assessment studies are among the most appropriate ways to achieve the goals of sustainable development. The sample region of Darreh-Gerdoo with an area of 100 hectares is located in the south of the Arak city. In order to assess the environmental impacts of the present research, first, the existing status of this region was identified, then by collecting the required information (including geographical, climatic, geological, environmental, economic, social, cultural, etc. location of the region) the effects of project implementation in the two phases of construction and operation was determined. Also, based on the checklist analysis, the effects of implementing or not implementing the project with environmental considerations were investigated, and the Iranian matrix (modified Leopold Matrix) method was selected for environmental assessment of the project. Results showed that the project effect in the construction phase is .95, in the exploitation phase is .63, and its algebraic sum is .57; therefore, if all environmental considerations and continuous monitoring are observed, it will be possible to implement this project