Evaluation of land degradation and environmental status in Haloxylon persicum planted area in Bardaskan region, Iran

Abstract

Desertification process is a major environmental issue affecting land resources and socioeconomic settings in Iran. One of the most effective methods to decrease the rate of wind erosion and desertification in arid and semiarid areas in Iran is implementation and development of Haloxylon persicum planted forest. The aim of this study was the quantitative assessment of the effects of H. persicum planted area on the severity of wind erosion and desertification process and study the environmental impacts of forestation. Desert lands of southeastern of Bardaskan in Khorasan Razavi province are used as a case study. For assessment of changes in wind erosion hazard maps and desertification classes (before and after of forestation), the modified Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS) and Iranian Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands (IRIFR) models were applied using spatial analyses and ArcGIS 9.3 software. Moreover, TWO-DIMENSIONAL MATRIX methodology was used to evaluate the environmental effects of forestation on the environmental indicators in the study area. The obtained results from IRIFR model indicated that following the forestation, the amount of aeolian deposition of the whole studied region (comprising 4193 ha) decreased from 80,620.6 to 29,150.9 t/ha/year. According to the MEDALUS approach, results showed that forestation declined very severe desertification class from 39.6 to 0 % and moderate class from 53.8 to 39.6 %. Results of TWO-DIMENSIONAL MATRIX model revealed that the total scores of the option 1 (forestation option) is +58 compared to the total scores of option 0 (non-forestation) which is −27, i.e., the best option in terms of environmental impacts on environmental indicators.