قربان وهاب زاده

This study was conducted to investigate the potential of copper (Cu) absorption and accumulation and the effects of its contamination on the growth and mineral nutrient content of Artemisia absinthium and Silybum marianum under greenhouse conditions. This was done under factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design and Copper sulfate (CuSO4.5H2O) solution was added to the pots with three replicates at 0 (control), 100 and 200 mg/kg and then seeds of two plant species were sown. Plant harvesting was done after two months when growth was completed and then plant growth characteristics and mineral elements (Ca, Mg, K, P, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu) were measured for roots and shoots. The results showed that there was no effect of copper sulfate stress on roots and shoots of A. absinthium while shoot biomass and root volume, area and length of S. marianum were significantly reduced. The Cu accumulation in roots of both plant species and in shoots of S. marianum significantly increased by increasing the copper sulfate in soil. The highest level of Cu accumulation was found in shoots and roots of S. marianum with 53.50 and 168.72 mg/kg dry matter, respectively. A transfer factor less than one for both plants indicated their ability to copper accumulation in the roots. Potassium content in the shoot of S. marianum was significantly greater than that in A. absinthium at treatment of 200 mg/kg. There was no effect of copper sulfate stress on the micronutrients content of A. absinthium while it caused a significant decrease in Mn and Zn in shoot and root of S. marianum, respectively, and a significant increase in Fe in the shoot of S. marianum.

Mining activities lead to the degradation of rangeland ecosystem structures and functions. Coal mining in rangelands generates substantial quantities of waste dumps, which serve as the primary environmental pollutants in the area and its surrounding ecosystems. Vegetation restoration in these mining areas can help reduce soil pollution and contribute to the overall landscape restoration. The aim of this study was to assess the physical and chemical properties of abandoned coal wastes in the rangelands of Kiasar, Mazandaran province, Iran. This information can be utilized to promote vegetation restoration on coal mine wastes by identifying the factors that limit plant growth and establishment on such substrates.

This study was conducted at the Kiasar coal mine in Sari, Mazandaran province, Iran. The mine site was established in 1983. The area is located at an elevation of 1030 m above sea level, with an average rainfall of 520 mm and a mean temperature of 13.2°C. A total of 10 coal waste dumps were abandoned in the area over the last three decades. Six age classes were identified based on the time since abandonment of these waste dumps in the surrounding area of the mine site. The identification process involved the assistance of experienced engineers and local workers. The age classes were categorized as follows: 4-6, 8-12, 15-18, 19-21, 22-24, and 25-27 years since abandonment. The control site consisted of natural rangelands around the mine, which are currently used for livestock grazing. Waste and soil samples were collected using a random-systematic method from a depth of 0-20 cm. The samples were then placed in plastic bags for subsequent chemical analysis. The soil samples were air-dried at room temperature, and various parameters, including texture, moisture, pH, EC, OC, CaCO3, N, P, K, Cu, Fe, Cd, Ni, and Pb, were measured in the laboratory. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, and means were compared using Duncan multiple tests.

The analysis of variance indicated that all measured parameters of soil and coal, except nitrogen and potassium, exhibited statistically significant differences among the coal wastes and the nearby rangelands. The coal wastes had lower percentages of silt, clay, moisture, and lime compared to those in the surrounding rangelands. However, these properties did not show significant differences among the various abandoned coal wastes. Most of the abandoned wastes were characterized as neutral or alkaline, with an electrical conductivity (EC) less than 1.5 dS/m. An exception was found in the waste that was abandoned 22-24 years ago, which exhibited acidic pH

In conclusion, our study revealed that moisture availability is a crucial limiting factor for plant growth on coal wastes. This limitation can be attributed to the sandy and sandy-loamy texture, unstable slope of coal dumps, and high porosity of the substrate. Moreover, coal waste undergoing erosion and leaching exhibited high electrical conductivity (EC) and low pH levels. The levels of organic matter and available phosphorus were found to be insufficient for supporting optimal plant growth. However, the concentrations of heavy metals remained within the normal range, even after a significant period since the abandonment of coal wastes. We recommend the implementation of remediation treatments in similar restoration projects to enhance plant growth and establishment.

Today, tourism and its development have attracted for of many societies and governments and are now one of the most profitable sectors of the global economy. Mazandaran Province is one of the provinces that annually accept many tourists nationally and internationally. The existence of suitable climate, pristine natural resources, forests and the Caspian Sea have natural and valuable potential to upgrade this.

In this research, the potentials and capabilities of ecotourism development in Shash Rudbar region, located in Savadkuh city of Mazandaran province, were performed using descriptive-analytical method and field studies. The questionnaire was prepared and completed by local people and experts from the Tourism and Library Department. Then, using the combined strategy of strategic analysis of SWOT and the QSPM strategic planning model, the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and threats were prepared and prioritized. Ultimately, ecotourism development strategies were developed in the region.   

The results showed that in the study area there are 28 strengths and opportunities as facilities and advantages and 19 weaknesses and threats as constraints and bottlenecks and indicate the high ability of the region to develop ecotourism and attract tourists.

According to the matrix table of the SWOT model and the total weighting factor of each of the strategies, it follows that aggressive strategies (SO) that focus more on internal strengths and external opportunities as optimal strategies In the development of tourism industry in the area of ​​six Roodbar should be considered.

This study aims to identify the types and intensity of weathering and morphogentic zones in the Talar watershed of Mazandaran Province following the local climate. Climate diversity is present from south to north in the Talar watershed due to the unique location of Mazandaran Province which is between the sea and the Alborz Mountain range. On the other hand, no method of studying the weathering of rocks has been used in the Talar watershed; hence, the weathering process and morphogentic regions in this watershed are unknown. To zonate the state of weathering and geomorphogentic regions based on Lewis Peltier models, climatic data including average annual precipitation and temperature of 8 weather stations with appropriate data and length of the statistical period of 1966-2016, were collected from the Meteorological Organization and registered in the Arc GIS database environment. Then, the Talar watershed's temperature and precipitation trends were found for each station. These maps were used to determine the weathering and morphogenetic regimes in the Talar watershed. A weight value was assigned to each station. Then, they were recorded in the database and were used to build the relevant maps in the Arc GIS environment. The results demonstrated that the Talar watershed is morphogenetically situated in semi-arid, savannah, and temperate zones. Most of these regions are associated with the Savan region (50%) and the fewest are linked with the temperate region (15%). Regarding the weathering process, the Talar watershed contains three types: moderate chemical weathering, low mechanical weathering, and extremely low weathering, with moderate chemical weathering covering the most area (56%).

Mineral exploration is an important factor in rangeland ecosystem degradation in Iran. The first priority in mine site restoration is to use native plants as they can resist the stress caused by heavy metals and nutrients deficiency and also the harsh environmental situation. Vegetation restoration in polluted mining area depends on how plants can respond to phisyco-chemical properties of mine waste. This study aimed to assess the responses of five pioneer species (Glaucium fimbrilligerum, Melica persica, Hordeum vulgare, Polygonum aviculare and Silybum marianum) in secondary succession to the phisyco-chemical properties of coal mine waste in Karmozd coal mine, Mazandaran, Iran.

The waste generated from the coal mining was heaped into different dumps in Karmozd coal mine site in Savadkoh county, Mazandaran province, Iran. This mine is one of the oldest and major coal mining site in central Alborz coal zone. Three dumps of coal waste were selected which were abandoned for more than three decades. All dumps had similar elevation above sea level and geographical aspect. During underground mining large volumes of coal wastes were heaped in one of the waste dump but in the other two dumps waste materials were deposited outside of tunnels. Plant species were sampled in 138, 1 m2 plots using random-systematic methods along transects. In each plot the cover percentage of each plant species were estimated visually. A soil sample was taken from the center of each plot up to a depth of 20 cm. Then soil samples were put in plastic bags until chemical analysis. The soil samples were air-dried at room temperature. Then Soil texture, pH, EC, OC, N, P, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Pb were measured in the laboratory. Plant species responses and the ecological niches were determined using eHOF model in R 3.5.3. The best model was selected using AIC index.

Results of this study showed that plant species responded to coal wastes properties in a variety of models. Among them the sysmetrical unimodal and bimodal with unequal two optima were more common. In response to the amount of sand in the soil all plant species except H. vulgare had an optimum in 49-88%. S. marianum showed an optimum in the lowest amount of clay while P. aviculare and H. vulgare had a broad ecological niche along the gradient of clay. G. fimbrilligerum and H. vulgare had a broad ecological niche than other plant species in response to the soil pH even with an optima in low soil pH. For soil minerals the dominant response was bimodal with unequal two optima. The upper optima for soil total nitrogen was found for P. aviculare and the upper optima for soil available P was detected for P. aviculare and H. vulgare. Two plant species (S. marianum and M. persica) responded to all heavy metals with symmetrical unimodal while the other species showed a verity of responses. S. marianum showed optimum in greater amount of heavy metal levels and its optima was 255.24, 53.74, 180.59, and 151.87 for Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ni, respectively.

In this study the three forb species showed more divers responses to the measured coal waste properties than that in two grass species. The studied plant species had different life spans and life forms. According to their responses and the ecological niches it can be concluded that all of these plant species have the potential for establishment and growth on coal waste dumps. Therefore, they can be used for mine site restoration with a priority to S. marianum and M. persica. Further studies are needed to assess the facilitation of these plant species growth and establishment under different remediation treatments.

Mining activities causes substantial damage to the environment worldwide. Abandoned mine wastes from mining activities limit the growth of plants due to unfavorable conditions and the concentration of a wide range of heavy metals. Identifying plant species growing on mine waste and assessing their seed germinations are important for vegetation restoration on mining areas. This study aimed at assessing the germination characteristics of Artemisia absinthium, Lepidium draba, and Silybum marianum naturally growing on coal mine wastes in Mazandaran province under different concentrations of copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd).

Seeds were collected from plants growing in coal wastes during 2 years. Completely randomized design was conducted with three replicates. Treatments were CuSO4 and Pb(NO3)2 at 0 (control), 50, 100, 200, and 300 mg/L, and Cd(NO3)2 at 0 (control), 5, 10, 20, and 30 mg/L. In each replicate 20 seeds were placed in a Petri dish containing a layer of filter paper. Then treatments were applied and Petri dishes were taken to a germinator under controlled temperature, moisture, and light. Germinated seeds were counted daily and then germination percentage, germination rate, allometric coefficient, seed vigor index, phytotoxicity percentage and seed tolerance index were calculated.

The results showed that increasing the concentration of lead, copper, and cadmium significantly affected the seed germination of studied plants. S. marianum had better germination percentage and rate in lead, and copper while germination of A. absinthium, L. draba, was better in cadmium, and copper, respectively. The greatest reduction in germination percentage was found for A. absinthium in 20, and 30 mg/L Cd. As the concentration of metals increased, significant reduction in germination percentage and rate for A. absinthium started in lower concentrations than the other species. Root and shoot length of all species significantly reduced even in low concentration of metals and S. marianum had greater root and shoot length under all treatments. Reduction in seed vigor index was greater under Cu than that in Pb and Cd. High tolerance index was found for L. draba in response to cadmium and for S. marianum under the stress of lead and copper. In all treatments increase in metal concentration significantly increased phytotoxicity index. Under Cu and Pb S. marianum showed least phytotoxicity index while the lowest phytotoxicity index was found for L. draba under Cd stress. Copper and cadmium in high concentration were more toxic for A. absinthium than that for the other two species. Under similar concentrations of copper and lead, all species showed reduced germination in copper stress. Cadmium in lower concentrations were tolerable for plants but generally it had the greatest inhibitory especially on A. absinthium.

Overall the responses were different regarding to the plant species, metal and concentrations. All three species were able to germinate at high concentrations of heavy metals. The presence of these species in coal wastes and their ability to germinate in high concentrations of heavy metals makes it possible to use these plants in future restoration and phytoremediation programs.

Background and Objective:

Volcanic Mount Damavand has unique landscapes and special geomorphological phenomena, wildlife diversity, vegetation, and unique climatic conditions and is one of the most important tourist destinations in Mazandaran province. Therefore, the protection of these unique reserves, especially geological phenomena that are the result of millions of year’s global evolution in this region, is important. Therefore, comprehensive national and international planning based on the principles of sustainable development is essential for the continuation of this world heritage. By using valuable tools such as GIS, it is possible to identify prone areas to geotourism development for sustainable development in the region and then apply the evaluation and optimal management. In addition to scientific values, geocomposites have many conservation, cultural, aesthetic, social and economic values. For the comprehensive management of watersheds, it is necessary to consider all the natural and human aspects affecting geotourism. In this study, in order to identify the potential of geotourism, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been used with the GIS.

Materials and Methods :

Mount Damavand with a height of 5672 meters is located in northern Iran. It is the highest peak in Iran and the Middle East, as well as the highest semi-active volcanic peak in Asia. Damavand is a stratified and semi-active volcanic mountain that was mainly formed during the fourth geological period called the Quaternary and Holocene eras. From the point of view of country divisions, it is located in Amol city of Mazandaran province. Its altitude is 5672 meters above sea level, the average annual rainfall is 540 mm and it is mainly in the form of snow. The climate of this part of the basin is semi-humid climate according to the Koppen method and cold semi-humid climate according to the Ambrege method. In order to determine the effective indices in identifying the potential areas for geotourism development, the study of criteria is divided into two categories of effective criteria and restrictive development. Layers of development obstacles include; rivers and main roads, side roads and inter-rural roads. The effective layers studied along with the relative weight obtained from the analysis of the questionnaire were considered to superimpose the layers with a specific weight for each layer. The results of completing the questionnaire by the audience, to determine the relative weight, information layers were formed in the GIS environment. In this study, using geographic information system (GIS) tools and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method, the weighting of effective criteria susceptible areas with geotourism development capability within a radius of 20 km of mount Damavand were performed.

Results and Discussion:

 The criteria inconsistency rate is less than 0.1, there is no need to reconsider the judgments. According to the final results obtained from overlaying effective layers in the development of geotourism by the Weighted Overlay function in GIS software, the study area with an area of 1256 square kilometres, after subtracting the restrictive areas, is divided into five classes; very inappropriate, unsuitable, medium, suitable and very suitable. The results showed, that the regions were classified into 5 categories: very inappropriate (1.34%), unsuitable (19.11%), medium (56.44%), suitable (20.94%) and very suitable (2.16%). then, after the field visit, 40 Alternatives were identified and examined in terms of the importance of development potential in the region. Evaluation of 40 Alternatives shows that 25, 40 and 35% of the alternatives have very good, appropriate and average potential, respectively. The results show that most of the susceptible areas with geotourism development capability, are located in the east and southeast of Mount Damavand. This can be caused by the density of various facilities, including villages, cities, roads and rivers, and so on. The high potential areas are more in the north, centre to the southeast of the protected area that has vegetation and forest, water resources and high geomorphological values and low potential areas are more in South and west is the range. This can be seen in the present study. Also, most of the area has medium to high potential, which indicates a good potential of the area.

Conclusion:

 One of the main reasons for the lack of integration in determining areas with geotourism potential is the lack of comprehensive and codified scientific criteria and indices. Geotourism, as one of the sub-branches of tourism, is a way to explain various geological and geomorphological concepts, it can be used as an industry for the construction and development of economic geology. In this study, in order to determine the susceptible areas with geotourism development capability with a view to the sustainable development of the region, the studied criteria were determined according to the availability of their information. These layers include; geology, distance from rivers, city, villages, communication roads, altitude, slope and aspect, rainfall and temperature as effective layers and road and river maps were considered as a constraint layer. In different studies, according to the availability of information of each layer in the study area and according to the purpose of the study, the layer of effective criteria and obstacles are different. After a field survey and identifying 40 alternatives, the results of overlaying the identified alternatives with the final potential map showed 35% of the alternatives in areas with very good potential, 40% of the options in areas with good potential, and 25% of the alternatives has medium development potential, respectively. This method is used to exploit natural resources and prepare tourism, welfare maps and can be a key step for the sustainable development of regions, and can provide a key step for the sustainable development of areas prone to tourism with different goals.

Land use change due to human activities is one of the most important issues in regional planning and development. Damghan urban basin has in recent years undergone many changes of the sort, including intensely increased urban population, physical expansion of urban and rural settlements, and disappearance of green spaces converted into residential areas. These changes have resulted in many flooding and inundation events within the urban area. The satellite technology can be exploited to identify such changes and the areas affected. For the purposes of this study, use was made of the ETM+ images of 2003 and the OLI images of 2015 obtained from Landsat to calculate the inundation conditions in Damghan urban basin using the USISM method. The ETM+ results showed a kappa coefficient of 75% and an overall accuracy of 0.67% while those of OLI images were 80% and 0.74%, respectively. The images revealed that green spaces had been converted to residential and commercial sites at a rate of 28% in 12 years. Meanwhile, agricultural land was found to have increased during the same period but barren lands to have decreased.

Minab plain in Hormozgan province has experienced population growth with agricultural development in recent decades. Low rainfall in recent years, successive droughts, and limited surface water resources, irregular irrigation practices in the agricultural sector in the study area, along with inappropriate cultivation patterns, have caused the extraction of water wells in the region. The extraction of these wells and groundwater resources has led to an imbalance in the aquifer in the area and a decline in groundwater levels. The consequences of this trend have caused the creation and expansion of subsidence in the region. This research, by investigating radar, satellite images and using differential radial interferometry, has been used to detect and determine the amount of subsidence in order to investigate the extent of this phenomenon in the study area. In this study, data from the Sentinel-1 refer to the dates 2014 and 2018 were used. The results showed it had 13-centimeter subsidence in the study period. After verifying the results by control points (in September 2018), in order to find the relationship of subsidence with changes in groundwater level, elevation, and slope, a spatial analysis was performed and the correlation of each of these factors with subsidence event density was calculated. Spatial autocorrelation analysis and Moran's index showed that climatic event due to water level changes in the study area was 0.925. The values ​​of 1.89 and 0.06 for standard normal distribution (z) and the p_value respectively, confirm a strong autocorrelation between the studied factors.

One of the management practices to reduce the harmful effects of chemical fertilizers and to protect soil and water resources is applying a combination of organic and chemical fertilizers that can better than using them separately. Therefore, in order to understand and identify the effectiveness of this management practice, it is necessary to examine runoff and sediment production. This study was carried out in an agricultural sloping land located in the North of Iran, near Sari city. For this purpose, runoff measurement plots of 1 × 5 m were set up under natural rainfall based on a randomized block experimental design. Soil samples were measured at 0-10 and 10-20 cm depths. In this study, parameters such as runoff (volume, nitrate content, sediment yields), soil physical features (porosity and infiltration coefficient), and soil chemical properties (EC, OC, N, CEC, pH) were measured. The results showed that among soil chemical and physical properties, just N, EC and pH significantly influenced the Municipal Solid Waste Compost. A PCA was carried out, showing that these treatments explained 74.35% of the total variance of the results. Accordingly, it could be stated that using soil and water conservation management practices can rapidly significantly improve the soil properties in the sloping lands.

Activities related to the extraction of minerals are one of the factors causing a disturbance in rangelands. Vegetation succession in mining areas depends on the soil seed bank. For this purpose, the soil seed bank was studied in two important coal extraction sites in Mazandaran province to identify and compare seed amount between coal wastes and nearby rangeland as control. Soil and coal wastes samples were taken from 140 plots of 1 m2 in Kiasar coal mine and 115 plots in Karmozd coal mine before the growth season. Samples were kept in a glasshouse for eight months germinated seeds were counted. Results of this study showed that the germination of 28 species in Kiasar and 23 species in Karmozd. 10 and 6 species only presented in Karmozd and Kiasar coal waste, respectively. Annuals dominated the coal waste seed bank in Kiasar while perennials were common in Karmazd coal waste seed bank. In Kiasar, coal waste seed bank had less diversity and richness than that in seed bank of rangelands, but no significant differences were observed between seed bank of coal waste and seed bank of rangeland in Karmozd. Due to the harsh conditions of seed germination and seedling establishment and also low seed density in the seed bank, natural regeneration in coal wastes of these two sites will be a slow process and it needs amendment treatments and the introduction of target plants seeds.

Abstract Identification of the flora in mining area is necessary for biodiversity conservation as well as vegetation restoration. In this study, flora and functional groups of plants were evaluated in Sungun copper mine, East Azarbayjan province, one of the most important sources of copper in Iran. The vegetation was assessed in the mining area including mine wastes, the area that affected by acid mine drainage and outcrops. The results showed that the greatest number of species and plant families were found in outcrops with 73 species from 21 families. The most frequent plant families were Poaceae (20.55%) and Asteraceae (16.43%). In the area that was affected by acid, mine drainage Astraceae (20.93%) and Poaceae (20.55%) were dominant but in waste dumps the Asteraceae (23.64%) and Fabaceae (14.55%) were the main plant families. Some species were restricted to specific area such as Rhamnus cathartica, Fumaria bracteosa, Equisetum flviatile in acid drainage affected site, Chenopodium album, Atriplex tararica, Hyoscyamus arachnoideus in mine wastes. Carex stenophylla, Hypericum dogonbadanicum and Allium kotschyi were also found to be unique. It was also found that in all three sites the most dominant life forms were hemicryptophytes. There was not any species from phanerophyte in waste dumps. Forbs and perennials were the dominant species of the area and the most of the flora belonged to Iran-Turanian region. We found a potential of species particularly nitrogen fixing species in this area that could be beneficial for vegetation restoration.