gh haderbadi

The utilization of medicinal plants based on the ecological principles is one of the aspects of multi-purpose use of rangelands. Therefore, the capability of Darmiyan mountain rangelands in the east of the country to exploit medicinal plants was evaluated. For this purpose, in addition to the ecological indicators, the economic, social, and environmental indicators related to the indigenous knowledge were also considered. In this regard, the vegetation inventory was performed inside the 60 two-square-meter plots located at a distance of 20 m from each other along the 200-meter transects, and the share of medicinal species in the plant composition was calculated. The limitations and potentials of the region to exploit the medicinal plants were also evaluated from the point of view of exploiters and experts by designing a set of questions in the form of Likert scale. The final suitability map to exploit the medicinal plants based on the good, medium, low, and non-suitable degrees of suitability was prepared by integrating the maps in the GIS and based on the FAO limiting factor approach. The results showed that 50.11% (6367.83 ha) and 49.89% (6341.44 ha) of the rangelands had medium and low suitability for exploitation, respectively. The canopy percentage had the highest share of limiting the suitability of plant types, in which the harvest of medicinal plants is less recommended to protect the soil and improve the rangeland conditions. The guaranteed purchase of medicinal plants from the exploiters and providing them with the necessary training on various aspects of this profession, will also increase the capability of this type of rangelands exploitation. Accordingly, they should be given more attention in designing the instructions to determine the rangelands suitability to exploit the medicinal plants.

Considering the poor condition of most rangelands of Iran, evaluation of rangeland potential and determination of suitability for continuous and optimal utilization seems necessary. The purpose of this study was to investigate the rangeland suitability for sheep and goat grazing using FAO and GIS methods. Therefore, three criteria including vegetation cover, water, and soil were studied. The vegetation cover characteristics were measured using four transects of 200 meters and 2 m2 plots. The location and volume of water resources were recorded and the water quality (EC and TDS) was measured. The soil erosion was studied using the MPSIAC method. The final suitability model for common grazing was prepared by integrating different layers of criteria. According to the results of the final suitability model, 7810.11 ha (61.5%) of the study rangelands were of a low suitability (S3) and 4899.16 ha (38.5%) had no suitability (N). The low forage production as well as soil erosion was recognized as the most important factors limiting the rangeland suitability of the study area; however, abundant water resources with an acceptable quantity and quality were the positive points of the area for grazing. Regarding the low suitability classes in the study area, livestock management plans should be fully and carefully performed to increase the development of palatable species. Overall, to compensate the beneficiaries’ income it is recommended that other rangeland capacities such as exploitation of by-products, tourism, and beekeeping be considered as supplementary livelihoods.