parvin farshchi

Severe land use change in recent decades has affected the ability of ecosystems to provide services, so it is necessary to be aware of the trend of these changes and their impact on ecosystem services for sustainable land management. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of land use change on biodiversity services in the Shafarood watershed in Gilan province.

The present study consists of three steps: 1) Extraction of past and present land use maps using Landsat satellite images using ENVI 5.3 and ArcGIS 10.3 software 2) Prediction and extraction of future land use maps using Scenario Generator tool of InVEST software and finally 3) Quantitative evaluation and modeling and mapping of ecosystem services related to biodiversity using the Habitat Quality model of InVEST software.

The results showed that habitat quality has decreased sharply over time under the influence of land use changes, and habitat degradation has increased sharply so that the average habitat quality for the entire study area for 2000, 2020, and 2040 are equal to 0.88, 0.64, and 0.41respectively. Also, the average habitat destruction for the whole Shafarood watershed in 2000 is equal to 0.0021, in 2020 equal to 0.0042, and for 2040 equal to 0.0061.

According to the obtained results, it can be argued that the increase of human development activities with the aim of acquiring and exploiting natural lands has caused irreparable damage to the structure of natural lands and plant and animal habitats and the continuation of such a process will lead to the risk of complete destruction of these unique resources.

Urbanization is considered the most important extinction driver of various fauna and flora species in the present century due to the degradation of habitat quality and its fragmentation. Therefore, investigation of changes in the land use land cover mosaic can provide useful information about the alteration of ecological processes, especially changes in bird diversity in urban landscapes. Bird survey was carried out from April to May 1400 between 8 and 11 am with three repetitions at 55 points located on 11 transects (5 points per transect). Transects and points were selected by examining land use and land cover changes on the rural-urban gradient. Then, 10 variables related to the area, mean distance and density of green cover, road network and habitat were computed in 4 circular buffers with radii of 750, 1500, 2250 and 3000 at each point of bird observation to assess their relationship with the Shannon diversity index using the multiple linear regression model. 2085 birds belonging to 46 bird species were observed. The domestic sparrow was found as the most abundant bird species with 1381 individuals. Among the independent parameters, percentage of green cover in buffer 1500 m, percentage of road cover in buffer 750 m, area of the nearest green cover, distance to the nearest green cover and mean distance to the nearest green cover in buffer 2250 m as variables were entered in the regression model (r2 = 0.64) as predictors of diversity Shannon. The findings of this study showed that the area of small green spaces, their long distance from each other and the high density of the road network are the most important factors in reducing the presence and diversity of bird species in the urban environment. Although areas close to the urban physical border showed higher bird diversity, their sharp decline toward the city center could be offset by accurate locating of urban green parks and reduction of traffic effects in nearby areas.

The sources of pollutions in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman are very widespread and various. Oil and atmospheric pollutions, ships traffic, discovering activities through the seabed, waste offloading; municipal waste disposal, constructing artificial islands, discharging saline wastewater of desalination machines, etc. are the most important recognized sources of pollution in the region. However, the dominating legal system of the present common and conventional law cannot confront these various and widespread pollutions. Political challenges, regional competitions, and legal gaps (regional or international) have led to non-cooperation in confronting sea pollution. The present study, using an analytical and inductive method, focused on this issue. The results showed that the gaps in combating the Persian Gulf pollution have impacted on the behavior of political stakeholders and that the international cooperation is a must for filling the legal and administrative gaps.

The current research was conducted in order to investigate the attitude of lay people and experts towards the risks and benefits of these substances. For this purpose, various risks of nanomaterials were first identified by investigating scientific papers and documents. After compiling the list of environmental risks of nanomaterials, the ranking of these risks was done with the help of experts (15 people). The study sample was determined with use of Cochran formula to be 53 people in each group.The opinions of both groups regarding risks and benefits were investigated with a researcher-made questionnaire. The analysis of the results showed that the attitude of lay people towards risks is more positive than the attitude of other nations. which is not based on correct knowledge and they express their opinions about the products of this technology based on the achievements of other technologies. According to the experts, the progress of nanotechnology at the current speed does not involve any danger and there is no need for new controlling laws, therefore, the views of people at different scientific levels should be taken into account in formulating national development plans.

Despite the limitation of natural resources on earth and the inharmonious spreading of these treasures, the world meets an ongoing tournament beyond different territories to get benefits in such a way to exploit more and more. Due to the limited land resources and the forecast for the depletion of all available reserves and capacities, deep-sea mineral resources can be considered as a reliable alternative to compensate for the land resources limitations.

This study, using an analytical descriptive method, studies the major issues regarding the exploration and exploitation of various natural resources from the seabed and the laws governing this sector and their exploitation conditions.

The research indicates that due to the sensitive and vulnerable ecosystem of marine areas, especially in the seabed and sub-seabed and the lack of knowledge necessary to carry out extraction processes in these areas, legal and executive gaps are felt in this area.

It is necessary to review the rules and regulations of international law, especially international environmental law, and implement new solutions, the process of exploration and mining with the requirements of sustainable development and exploitation in accordance with the ecological conditions and potential of these habitats.

There is always an adamant need to comprehend and draw the complex challenges of sustainability and help to organizing studies due to the increasing human-related pressures on coastal zones. Hence, by formulating such a comprehensive framework, it could be possible to anticipate changes and supporting managerial decisions, as well as the degree of environment resilience in the region. One of the approaches utilized in littoral zones is the conceptual framework of drivers, pressure, status, impact and responses, DPSIR. Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Persian Gulf, accounts for being the most vital and strategic area in the region. In recent decades, Qeshm has become one of the major cultural, natural, geological as well as tourism hubs of the country due to its unique regional characteristics, along with its biodiversity and environmental sensitivity. Thereby, in the present research, a combined approach was followed to explore the resilience of the marine environment in the northern coast of the Qeshm Island by taking advantage of the socio-economic criteria. In this respect, the conceptual framework of the DPSIR model is utilized in combination with the structural squation model (SEM-PLS), which is one of the non-experimental techniques, to quantify the results in the best possible manner. On the basis of the fuzzy cognitive map (FCM), the Regional economic index bears the weights of 0.62, 0.62 and 0.5 along with the Institutional-managerial and Biological indexes, respectively, denoting a two-way positive correlation whereas having a two-way but adverse correlation with a weight of 0.65 in terms of the Socio-cultural index. There is also a one-way and negative relationship, as to the Economic index, with a weight of 0.69 in relevance with the Physio-chemical index likewise.

Due to the closed nature of the Persian Gulf, the transit of oil tankers and excessive utilization of the global standard, the environmental situation of the gulf has been endangered. It is necessary to promulgate the sea-based culture and marine economy and include their policies in the legislations of all eight countries of the Persian Gulf in order to achieve the sustainable development regarding their versatile aspects and implementation.The main question here is how the performance of the engaging states in the Persian Gulf contributes in maintaining sustainability of the maritime environment in the Persian Gulf, emphasizing on indicators of sustainable development. In this article, the performance of the Persian Gulf countries in relation to the sustainable development of the marine environment has been studied analytically and through a library research. Following the review of these indicators, the global standard of sustainable development components is measured in three areas of social, economic and environmental sectors compared to objectives 12, 14, 15 and 17 of Agenda 2030. According to the results,achieving sustainable development of the marine environment of the Persian Gulf is only possible by active participation of all the eight countries playing their optimal roles in cooperation with each other.

The purpose of this study is to Assessment and zoning of water resources pollution in the water resources of Minoo Island in the south of the IRAN. The type of research is applied and the method of laboratory is done through field harvesting. For this purpose, the study area was networked and the networks that had an aquatic ecosystem were selected as the study area. Sampling of water (surface and underground) in the area was performed and transferred to a trusted laboratory. The results showed that there are 3 types of water resources in the study area; Arvand River, surface rivers and groundwater. The average of TDS was between 1100-1600 parts per million (ppm). The Arvand River is more polluted than other sources. The highest levels of AS, Fe, Mn, Cr and Al are 0.425, 0.585, 0.883, 0.102 and 2.22 mg / l, respectively. The pH is normal and will not be a problem for sensitive plants. Also, groundwater resources located in the northern half of the study area show the highest level of pollution.

Due to the significant growth and development of industries in Iran, including mines, oil and gas, and agriculture, in proportion to increasing production, the country is now faced with a large volume of industrial, mineral, and hazardous waste. The improper management of hazardous wastes affects the basic resources of the environment, water, soil, and air, and cause environmental pollution. The present research will be addressed the legal challenges of implementing waste management regulations in Iran, detected the problems with the existing regulations, examine the opportunities and threats, and identified the legal gaps and It’s weaknesses in order to propose the required amendments to the Waste Management Act, its bylaw, and other legal and managerial actions. In this research, current status of waste management in the country was first identified, evaluated, and analyzed.A supplementary the supplementary survey was then completed by experts and managers, the data were normalized, and the QSPM model was adopted to identify the superior strategies and approaches according to a SWOT analysis. The results demonstrated that the most important waste management problems included the incomplete implementation of the duties entrusted by the Act to most of the responsible organizations and institutions; the managers’ low level of knowledge, awareness, and competence in making the necessary decisions; legal gaps and the lack of legal enforcement guarantees; the low levels of punishment and penalties provisioned in the Act against the offenders; and failing to exploit the private sector’s investment capacity for waste organization and management.

In many developed countries, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which is among the successful waste management programs, has been adopted and implemented as a policy approach. EPR is aimed at reducing the financial load that waste collection and management imposes on local governments, especially waste that requires complicated and costly treatment and recovery processes. It is an efficient tool in resource management according to which the responsibility for goods and products rests with their producers until the end of their life cycle. In Iran, in accordance with Article 4 of the Waste Management Act and Article 12 of its Executive Bylaw, the National Environmental Fund is responsible for collecting taxes levied on producers and importers of goods and products that produce waste and for offering facilities to units engaged in resource recovery. Yes, it has not been implemented for various reasons. The present paper seeks to implement the responsibility of producers to manage waste from the consumption of goods in Iran.  

In this research, using a questionnaire, the opinions of 60 experts and domestic experts in the field of research were used. First, the data and information received from the individual survey forms were validated, and then the best strategies were analyzed according to the SWOT model. To determine the attractiveness, the data entered the QSPM quantitative planning matrix and the priorities were determined accordingly. By examining the legal challenges of implementing waste management regulations and identifying the obstacles of the implementation of expanding the responsibility of the producer in the country, and the results of this research, appropriate strategies for its implementation were also presented.

 The most important problems causing the failure to implement EPR in Iran were (1) the lack of an effective and efficient legal mechanism to require cooperation and coordination between the governmental agencies for collecting the taxes levied on producers and importers of goods and products, the consumption of which leads to the production of waste that is dangerous for the environment, (2) the failure in the timely establishment of the National Environmental Fund, (3) the all-encompassing list of goods and products subject to EPR, (4) a large number of goods and products subject to EPR and (5) the identical tax levied on the various goods and products subject to EPR. However, if EPR is implemented in Iran and the National Environmental Fund offers facilities for setting up industrial waste management centers, especially in resource recovery, and investment by the private sector in the industries and technologies related to waste recovery is supported, the environment will be protected and waste will be managed systematically. In addition, business activities will flourish and sustainable jobs and income will be created. Moreover, economic growth will result from resource recovery and conversion of waste into energy and new products. This will play a substantial role in self-sufficiency, resulting in independence from foreign countries for the provision of raw materials and prevention of foreign currency outflows to procure them. Therefore, it is necessary to take the required measures to resolve the problems and difficulties in the way of EPR in Iran and also to launch a comprehensive and integrated information system for producers of goods and products subject to waste management. Moreover, the list of such goods and products should be more limited and more transparent, and the Department of Environment and other related organizations should also supervise the way of levied taxes collection and how the facilities are granted by the National Environmental Fund. They should also supervise the environmental performance of those engaged in resource recovery.

When designing products, manufacturers of goods and consumables accept their legal and economic responsibility in order to minimize the environmental effects and take action to reduce the destructive effects of products and waste management of materials and goods in the environment

Environmental law is an important tool for monitoring and managing sustainable development. Sustainability of development in rich and poor, industrial and non-industrial countries, the concept of sustainable development goes beyond national borders and can be evaluated and analyzed in the framework of the global governance system. The purpose of the case study of the Persian Gulf in this article is the special importance of this region in terms of huge sources of non-renewable energy, especially oil, gas and special environmental conditions, especially the closure of the Persian gulf, tanker passage, and non-standard operation and far from waiting. Sustainable development in the field of international environmental law seeks to provide the right solution for the protection of the Persian Gulf. In this way, economic, social, and environmental indicators are the three basic pillars of sustainable development, and all of these indicators affect international environmental law in the Persian Gulf. This article seeks to answer the question of what are the possible ways to implement sustainable development in the marine environment of the Persian Gulf. The present article has identified the implementation of sustainable development in this region by using descriptive and analytical methods while examining the environmental situation of Persian gulf and in the end, it offers the necessary solutions and suggestions. The general conclusion of the article, considering the goals 14 and 17 of the 2030 document, shows that it is necessary to control the executive procedures by determining the indicators.

Today, ecotourism is referred to as a tool that seeks to realize the pleasures and benefits of tourism, but strives not to diminish the natural and ecological value of the area. The purpose of this study is to determine the effective criteria for ecotourism site evaluation and ecological board capacity to plan for ecotourism in Shahrood protected areas.

In the first step, site evaluation criteria were compiled and rated by experts. Fitting was done by LISREL software. The data layers were then weighted and overlapped by pairwise comparison. Subsequently, zoning was carried out to determine the area and capacity of the physical real and effective range for ecotourism.

The final model of ecotourism evaluation consists of 8 dimensions and 20 criteria. The model fit was good and acceptable (GFI 0.942). It is also suitable for ecotourism at 66474 hectares. The study area consists of 3 areas of mountain forest, mountain and plain and desert. The effective range for the mountainous forest area is 1743 and for the mountainous and plain area is 1765 and for the desert zone is 3123.

In Shahrood city protected areas, environmental board capacity is not observed and is more than threshold tolerance. As a result, ecotourism needs to be at the forefront of tourism planning in the area of ​​conservation principles.

Sludge, as an additional element in the process of treatment will cause numerous problems in long runs. Therefore, it has to be collected and disposed in sanitary ways. Disposing the sludge requires certain rules and it is often polluted by not following the environmental rules. Pollution will be transferred to human and agriculture crops through water and soil. The best method to control this problem is to utilize that material in an efficient way. In this paper, we proposed an efficient method to decrease the pollution of sludge obtained from Mashhad slaughter house, as an applicable sample, and we tried to optimize its usage in an efficient application. We sampled the sludge, obtained from the treatment process in Mashhad slaughter house, for several times. Then, we carried out the relative tests such as: chemical pollution (BOD, COD, PH, Nitrate, and phosphate), heavy metal (As, Hg, Ni, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cr, Cd, Co), microbiology pollution, and animal feeding tests on the sludge samples. The obtained results indicate that the sludge could be utilized as animal feed. We prepared the cattle ration by using the utilized sludge