Explaining the resilience of the landscape of the ecological network of Tehran

Cities today serve as platforms for societal development while also being focal points for various environmental, economic, and social challenges. This study investigated the ecological network in Tehran, defined as a system of interconnected ecosystems of the same type, focusing on green and barren land cover from 1986 to 2021. Land cover changes were identified using Landsat satellite imagery and analyzed through a change detection technique applied to classified images. The landscape structure of green and barren lands was then quantified for the start and end of the study period. The results of the land structure analysis in Tehran, including the size and isolation of habitat patches—green and barren lands that provide critical ecosystem services—indicate that the spatial composition and distribution of green spaces in certain areas of the city are unsustainable. Specifically, regions 10 and 8 were found to have the lowest share of green land relative to their population among Tehran’s 22 regions, while regions 1 and 22 had the highest share.