سهراب مرادی

In recent years, following the failure of government management policies in Zagros forests, the country's natural resources organization (NRO) has emphasized the participatory management approach. Although the implementation mechanism of this policy and its framework has not been cleared, utilizing the capacities of all stakeholders, especially women, is one of the most important manifestations of the realization of participatory management. Rural women make up half of the beneficiary population of natural resources and, despite the limitations, play a considerable role in managerial, social, and economic activities. However, the main focus and attempt of managers' intention on participation, has been dedicated to men. Rural women affect the quality of management and protection of natural resources due to their wide connection with these resources and the transfer of their knowledge, information, and beliefs to the next generation. This study aimed to identify the role of rural women in activities related to natural resources management in villages of Chahar-zebar region – Kermanshah.

Four villages of Chahar-zebar Olia, Deh-Sefid, Goharabad, and Kashanbelek in Mahidasht district of Kermanshah province were selected to conduct this research. The considerable forest cover and employment of most of the villagers in rural jobs and animal husbandry to meet their livelihood were among the most important criteria for choosing these villages. A total of 153 women living in the villages were interviewed in a survey using a researcher-made questionnaire and through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews (mainly due to the low literacy level) and direct observation of women's activities. The individual characteristics of the respondents, the general profile of the household, the role of women and the time of their participation in various activities of managing and utilizing natural resources, the relationship of women with the natural resources administration, women's knowledge of the natural resources of their village, the repeatability of activities and the participation and companionship of other people were among the variables that were recorded and measured for investigation the role of women in the management (conservation and utilization) of natural resources. To evaluate the role of women in management and decision-making at the household level, their role in the directing and administration of expenditure and income was questioned. Spearman's correlation analysis was done to determine the relationship between different personal and social characteristics of women with different features of the activities performed by them.

Based on the findings, women in the villages surveyed have a low to medium knowledge about natural resources. Despite predicting 30 types of activities related to natural resources in the questionnaire, women were involved in only 27% of natural resources activities while a considerable share of the practices (96.7 percent) were done with the participation of other people (other women, husbands, and children respectively). Women were more commonly engaged in activities such as collecting mushrooms, edible plants, seeds, fruits, medicinal plants, and firewood, while tasks like using forest wood, fighting forest fires, and fencing yards with branches were less commonly performed by women. This study showed that women's knowledge of the village's natural resources was average to low. Correlation analysis indicated that factors such as age, religious activity and the desire to migrate had a negative relationship with the role of women in both management and decision making, while a positive correlation was observed for time spent in forest activities. Additionally, variables like age, length of stay in the village, and tendency to migrate were also negatively correlated with the time spent on forest-related activities.

Based on the research findings, it is evident that women in the studied region have limited participation in the management of natural resources. They only engaged in the utilization of some forest and pasture products while not performing considerable activity in the conservation and development of the resources. Therefore, it is crucial to recognize and enhance the role of women in governing natural resources to improve preservation and restoration efforts. Raising awareness, providing counseling, and increasing involvement of women in this field are essential steps to address the current lack of participation. The fact is that contrary to the claim of NRO, local communities, and villagers, both women and men, do not have a considerable role in the management of natural resources. The very little connection with the natural resources’ office indicates the lack of promotion and educational programs suitable for women and the lack of presence of natural resources experts among local communities. Therefore, it is suggested that the Natural Resources and Agriculture Departments seriously take into account education to local communities in their plans. Paying attention to the education and empowerment of young women is of great importance in the management of natural resources, since they perform more activities in natural resources, they have relatively more knowledge of natural resources, and their role in management and decision-making is also more considerable. We concluded that the duration of women's activity in natural resource appears to be a key factor determining their understanding and involvement. It is essential to valuing women's contribution and utilizing their potential effectively in natural resources conservation and restoration to establish an efficient participatory management system.

Hyrcanian forests are known for their rich biological diversity and valuable fauna and flora, are among threatened ecosystems due to the wide level of human activities. Woodpeckers are also considered as the indicator of the biodiversity of forest birds and they need a large home range and thick trees and snags or nesting and feeding. Changes in forest structure and canopy will reduce woodpeckers in all forest habitats. Therefore, aim of this study is modeling the habitat suitability of the indicator species of Green Woodpecker to determine the valuable forest conservation patches in the forests of Golestan province. For this, the green woodpecker presence points extracted from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) database were combined with the data obtained from field observations throughout the study area, and then the environmental variables affecting the distribution of the species based on published sources for the construction of its habitat suitability model including climatic variables, topography (slope and altitude) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were determined as predictive variables in the modeling. In order to model habitat suitability, the Maximum Entropy model was used in MaxEnt software, and the data analysis of MaxEnt software was done in ArcGIS. The Jackknife index was used to evaluate the importance of variables in the preparation of the model and to determine the most important variables affecting species distribution, and the efficiency of the model was evaluated by calculating the Area Under Curve (AUC). The Area Under Curve for the training data (AUC= 0.948) showed that the efficiency and predictive power of the Maximum Entropy model for determining the optimal habitat areas of the Green Woodpecker species is at very excellent level. The model, finally obtained, also showed that the majority of forest habitats suitable for protection are located in the central and eastern parts of the forests of Golestan province. Based on the Jackknife index, NDVI, Slope, Isothermality and Seasonal Changes of Precipitation were identified as the most influential variables for building the final habitat suitability model. Referring to the results, flat to moderate slope areas of Hyrcanian forests and oak tree communities along with areas with dense canopy were recognized as priority for conservation. It is, therefore, necessary and inevitable to ecologically enrich the forests through forest proper management and make them more sustainable ecologically.

Forest and rangeland by-products, particularly medicinal plants, can contribute to sustainable development and increase economic opportunities for local communities. Medicinal plants play a significant role in society's health and disease treatment. Negligence to the preservation of medicinal heritage reserves in the field of natural resources will lead to disastrous consequences in the country's natural resources sector. Among these consequences are the rapid extinction of species and severe genetic erosion. Therefore, this study targets protection value and people's willingness to pay for medicinal plant protection and restoration. The Salas Babajani region in Kermanshah province was chosen for this research. The vegetation in this area is mainly wooded, and most of the area is covered by dense forests. Due to its diverse topography, the Salas Babajani region has a variety of forest habitats and rangeland and forest medicinal plants. Asafoetida, Thyme, Hawthorn, Wormwood, Eremurus, Dog rose, Chamomile, Sweet violet, Oak, Ferulago, Common Thistle, Horsemint, licorice, etc., are among the medicinal plants of this region. Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was used to estimate medicinal plants' non-use (protective) values in this study. Also, a Double-Bounded Dichotomous Choice questionnaire was used to measure people's willingness to pay for medicinal plant protection in the region. The questionnaire was designed in two parts: socio-economic characteristics of people (age, gender, level of education, occupation, number of family members, income, and other characteristics of the respondents) and questions related to the willingness to pay of the respondents. Sampling was done by simple random sampling among residents of the Salas Babajani region in 2016. Cochran's formula from 353 questionnaires determined the number of samples. The logit model was used to measure people's willingness to pay, and the parameters were estimated based on the maximum likelihood method. The results showed that 64% of the interviewees were men and 36% were women. The average age of the respondents is 27.88 years, the average household size is 4.46, and their minimum and maximum household sizes are one person and ten people, respectively. The results also showed that more than 76% of people (269 samples) are willing to pay an amount to protect and restore medicinal plants. The average willingness of each person to pay annually for the protection and restoration of medicinal plants is equal to 5269 Tomans (according to the average household size (4.46 people) equal to 23500 Tomans for each household per year). The variables of household size and the suggested price have a significant negative effect with 95% confidence. The variables of income, gender, level of education, supporting the protection of natural resources (interest in the environment), and knowledge of the protection of medicinal plants and its relationship with sustainable development (knowledge and awareness of environmental protection) are among the most important positive influencing factors with 95% confidence on people's willingness to pay for the protection of medicinal plants. The variables of age, marital status, occupation, membership in environmental organizations, and environmental attitudes and tendencies did not affect the acceptance of the suggested price for medicinal plants conservation value. The Likelihood Ratio statistic (280.39) shows that the changes explained by the logit model are significant at a level higher than one percent. The estimated model's correct prediction percentage is also 75%. Since the percentage of correct prediction for the logit model is equal to 70%, the percentage of correct prediction obtained in this model seems favorable. Therefore, this model is reliable for further analysis. McFadden's coefficient of determination also shows that the model's explanatory variables explain well (about 0.87) the changes in the dependent variable. In terms of management, this study achieved promising results because it shows that the people of society are aware of the importance of protecting medicinal plants, and there is a desire to pay significantly for the protection and restoration of these valuable resources. Therefore, it is suggested that the government pay more attention to public participation to protect, revive, and develop medicinal plants in the forest areas of the study area.

To conduct this research, 100% Inventory was performed in each stand by dividing whole study area into mosaics with dimension 40 × 40 meters. In each mosaic, all trees, shrubs and their vegetative origin were determined and also DBH, height of crown beginning, total height, height and diameter (large and small diameter) of crown were measured. To show the structure of the stands, sample plots with dimension 100 × 100 m were placed in each stand and the structural information of the forest was measured and recorded. The measured data in each stand were analyzed via statistical software and forest structure was plotted using SVS software. Comparison of the means of structural characteristics showed a significant difference at the level of 5% between the stands. The results showed that the elevation variation and stratification is greater in natural stand and the Quercus infectoria species occupies the dominant story. Also, the natural habitat has the highest crown density and developed crown and enjoys more favorable condition. Therefore, it is suggested that by modeling the natural stands and protecting and supporting the stands under traditional exploitation and implementing of enclosing and restoration operation in the exploited habitat, the condition of these stands be improved and led to a more stable situation.

Nowadays, regular evaluation of recreational and non-market benefits of environmental resources is necessary so that those positive aspects be combined into politics and planned decisions. The main goal of this research is economic-recreational valuation of Koohestan forest park-Kermanshah using the zonal travel cost method.

Collecting quantitative and qualitative data, visiting the park, preparing questionnaires and analysis of the findings using Excel software have been the main principles of the related research. Validity and reliability of the questionnaires were approved by the scientific board members of Payame Noor University and Cronbach alpha coefficient respectively.

Investigating the monthly income level of visitors showed that there is a high correlation between this variable in one hand and the number of days of visiting the promenade and also willingness to pay the entrance fee on the other hand. The results also showed that the level of education also plays an important role in attracting tourists such that the largest number of visitors was literate people. Reviewing of the carried out studies over Koohestan Forest Park showed that the highest number of visitors (48%) were in the age range of 20-35 years.The high recreational value of Koohestan forest park, which was calculated in the spring and summer of 2016, was equal to 727045380 rials.

The results indicate the need for more attention and the development of a comprehensive plan of tourism development for forest parks that can be an effective tool in planning and managing developmental projects.

Forage is the main product of ranges. Through determining the economic value of ranges forage, managers can be directed towards the optimal management of productivity. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the economic value of forage production in the ranges of Zemkan basin located in Kermanshah province. Calculating the value of forage production per square hectare is one of the employed methods used for this purpose. This method involves the awareness of the status of various range types and the producible rate in each range type. Using the interpretation of IRS-P6 satellite images, Liss III and Liss IV sensors, there were determined the area and kind of range types in Zemkan basin. Also, the average forage production per hectare was determined in each range type using experts' attitudes, official statistics, and the information of native individuals. Forage prices are estimated using the Hedonic pricing method as they are economically heterogeneous. The results showed that the economic rents and the expected values of each hectare of ranges are 870 and 13594 Rials per hectare in moderately dense ranges and 580 and 9063 Rials per hectare in low-dense ones. Therefore, it can be inferred that the related ranges can play a significant role in both local and regional economy.

This study was carried out with the aim of feasibility evaluation of the application of multi-objective game-theory model for settling balance between economic and environmental concerns in land use optimization as well as to facilitate the respective decision-makings in Zemkan basin, located in the west of Kermanshah Province. The bi-objectives of multi-objective game-theory model are minimizing the destructive effects on the environment (less erosion and sediments) and maximizing the economical incomes resulted from different land uses (more net present value). The IRS-P6 Satellite images were used for recognition of different land uses and the areas of these land uses were determined using GIS tools. In this study, the environmentalists (player 1) and Zemkan basin users (player 2) were selected as environmental and economical players, respectively. In this study, an integration of game theory, multi-objective optimization and geographic information system was used in land use optimization of Zemkan basin in order to set balance between economic development and environmental effects. The results of multi-objective game-theory model indicated that after several rounds of bargaining and moderating the objectives between players, Nash equilibrium would be resulted. Within Nash equilibrium limits, the mean of erosion and sediment ranges from 4296 to 4300 thousands m3 per year and net present value, also ranges from 47050 to 47068 million Rials for economic player. Comparing with Pareto optimality, which is the result of classical multi- objective model, Nash equilibrium offered more satisfactory solutions based on decision makers’ priorities. The results also suggest that the game theory model can be applied in many other issues concerning environmental management. The future researches may concentrate on developing a third objective like social concerns so that three-objective games would be applied instead of bi-objective ones.

The Hyrcanian forests are rich in terms of biological diversity. Besides, they are known to be much valuable due to geographical isolation and having the fauna and flora. However, these forests, because of the wide range of human activities, are among the most endangered ecosystems of Iran. In this study, the Great Spotted Woodpecker has been used as a surrogate for determining patches with high value of preservation. To do this, first, we gathered the habitat points in which the related species exist. Then, the environmental variables effective on the species distribution were prepared for developing a habitat suitability model for the species. The model, finally obtained, showed that the majority of forest habitats to be protected have been located in the eastern half of Golestan Province. Two variables, i.e. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and altitude were known to be the most effective indices in achieving the final habitat suitability model. Referring to the results of the study, the first two altitude classes of Caspian forests, the community of oak trees and the areas with dense canopy were decided to be in priority of conservation. According to what mentioned, it is, therefore, necessary and inevitable to ecologically enrich the forests through forest proper management and make them more sustainable ecologically.

The present study was carried out with purpose of assessing the environmental knowledge, attitudes and responsible behavior of Kermanshah´s Payame Noor University (PNU) students. This research is the result from a field, cross sectional & descriptive study. The instruments of information gathering included a questionnaire consisting of 30 questions in three categories of environmental knowledge, attitudes and responsible behaviors. The statistical community included 15200 students from PNUs of Kermanshah Province, among which 375 questionnaires were distributed randomly using Morgan Table. Finally 340 questionnaires were completed and collected. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were approved by the members of scientific board of Kermanshah PNU and Cronbach's Alpha coefficient respectively. Data were analyzed using Excel Software. The results indicate that the environmental information of the responders has been weak regarding the knowledge about environmental communities together with the area of their activities, the extinct animal species of Iran as well as sustainable development and its relationship with environment and national parks of Iran. On the other hand, the responders’ information has been satisfying about acid rains, Ozone layer, air pollutant gases, soil erosion and also roles and values of trees and forests. The investigated result of the students’ environmental attitudes showed that their attitudes, in the sense of affecting power on the behavior, have been over the mediocre level and their positive attitudes are being oriented towards environment-based thinking. Also, the skills and responsible behaviors of the students were assessed positive in this study.

The 40 percent of the country's forests are allocated to Zagros area with five million hectare forest. Indiscriminate use of Zagros forests during last decades, has led to convert this valuable forests to sensitive and fragile ecosystems. Iranian Squirrel is an indicator mammal of the Zagros oak forests that unfortunately greatly reduced due to the destruction of habitat as a result of human activities. The aim of this study was to select the suitable remaining patches for conservation of this species. We used species distribution modeling Geographic Information System (GIS) to develop habitat suitability model for Iranian Squirrel in Zagros forests. The results showed that the major suitable patches for this species are located in the West of the city. As well as elevation, distance from roads and vegetation cover variables are most important variables for distribution of this species. The results of this study suggest that forest areas with dense cover and upland forest areas were most favorable habitat for Iranian squirrel species in the Salas-e Babajani County.

The goal of this study is determination of erosion rate and sediment production and exploring sensitive areas of erosion in Zemkan basin, located in the West of Kermanshah Province.To achieve these objectives, the erosion potential method (EPM) was used.Geographical information system also was used to reduce the errors and increase the relative accuracy in the analysis of the model. Required data in this study were obtained through fieldwork, existing maps, data from meteorological and hydrometric stations and library resources. The nessesary data layers were digitized and georeferenced and finally database were created. Using standard tables provided in the EPM model, accordant values for the basin extracted and incorporated into the layers according to the relations given in EPM model, the erosion intensity map, erosion and sediment ratio were calculated for the basin. Results revealed that the ratesof especial erosion (WSP) and especial sediment are (GSP), 2742.02 and 1005.55 m3/km2/yrespectively. The intensity of erodibleity of the basinwas also classified as very intensive (V).However the intensity of the erosion in the basin suggests that, different policies of erosion control in the basinare necessary.

Fossil fuel is an expensive and finite energy source. Therefore، the use of renewable energy and biofuels production has been taken into consideration. One of the most suitable raw materials for biofuels is cellulosic compounds. Only microorganisms that contain cellulose enzymes can decompose cellulose and fungus of Trichodermareesei is the most important producer of this enzyme. In this study the nucleotide sequence of endoglucanase II، which is the starter of attack to cellulose chains، synthesized from amino acid sequence of this enzyme in fungus T. reesei and based on codon usage in the host; yeast Pichiapastoris. To produce optimized enzyme and to decrease the production time and enzyme price، protein engineering will be used. There are some methods to improve the enzymatic properties like site-directed mutagenesis in which amino-acid replacement occur. In this study two mutations were induced in endoglucanase enzyme gene by PCR in which free syctein positions 169 and 393 were switched to valine and histidine respectively. Then this gene was inserted into the pPinka expression vector and cloned in Escherichia coli. The recombinant plasmids were transferred into P. pastoris competent cells with electroporation، recombinant yeasts were cultured in BMMY medium and induced with methanol. The sequencing of gene proved the induction of the two mutations and the presence of recombinant enzyme was confirmed by dinitrosalicilic acid method and SDS-PAGE. Examination of biochemical properties revealed that the two mutations simultaneously decreased catalytic power، thermal stability and increased the affinity of enzyme and substrate.

Phytase is able to change phytic acid into the myo-inositiol and inorganic phosphate، so it has been used as a cereal food additive in monogastric animal’s food. The aim of this study was to eamine cloning، expression and culture optimization of gene encoding Aspergillus niger NRRL3135 phytase in Hansenula polymorpha host. In this study، in order to achieve high level production of protein، the sSequence of protein encoding fangal Aspergillus niger NRRL3135 phytase was designed according to the expression cod on usage of Hansenula polymorpha and transformation was done. The enzyme specific activity in different cultures was survived. The results in flask culture showed that the recombinant phytase production was 1185 U/L with 34. 84 U/mg specific activities in YNB-Methanol culture. Results indicate YP-methanol culture is the efficient culture to produce Aspergillus niger NRRL3135 phytase in Hansenula polymorpha as a host on industrial scale

One of the important technical obstacles in the study of many filamentous fungi is the development of efficient transformation system. Transformation of filamentous fungi is difficult because they have a cell wall and for most frequently used approaches preparing of protoplast is necessary. Protoplast preparation is batch-dependent and frequently frustrating work. In this study, a modified method was introduced for gene transfer to the plant pathogenic fungus, Fusarium graminearum, the major causal agent of Fusarium Head Blight disease in small grains. This protocol was based on protoplast-PEG method. Age of mycelia, enzymes exposure time and mycelium/enzyme ratio were optimized for the purpose of protoplast preparation. The outcome showed that the best result for protoplast preparation was obtained when 1.5 × 105 spores germinated for 6 h then exposed to 10 ml of enzyme solution for 3 h. The effect of other parameters that might enhance transformation yields including PEG concentration, DNA quantity and number of protoplasts was also examined. The most efficient condition of transformation involved the use of 106 protoplasts, 20 µg DNA and 30% PEG (w/v). In the course of this study, a simple and appropriate modified protocol for transformation of F. graminearum was established. The method introduced is also more economical and faster than other current methods.

We studied Fusarium graminearum, a filamentous ascomycets that causes severe epidemics of wheat head blight worldwide and contaminates grain with thrichothecene mycotoxins. an effective way to study the plant – pathogen interaction, the disease causing mechanism and genomics studies of plant pathogen fungi is fungi transformation. The availability of a perfect transformation system would let to study gene exchange, epidemiology and to utilize techniques such as gene disruption or gene silencing to investigate the role of fungal products in pathogenesis. Typical procedures for transforming filamentous fungi such as Fusarium sp. involve the preparation of fungal protoplast. The effect of spore amount, enzymes exposing time and mycelium age on preparation of protoplast were studied in this article.