Abstract
One of the most important environmental problems in Iran is the destruction and drying of Urmia Lake (UL). UL is one of the main causes of suitable weather for agricultural boom and tourist attraction and it should be considered that the villagers exposed to UL drying have a strong dependence on vulnerable resources such as water, air, soil and plants for their livelihoods and have low adaptive capacity with this crisis for reasons such as poverty, lack of awareness and lack of infrastructure. This study was designed to evaluate the vulnerability of rural households to UL drying in the Shabestar region. The vulnerability was calculated based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) definition and using vulnerability index (VI). Research population included rural households of Shabestar region (N = 19,249) and about 347 households were selected as the research sample using multistage cluster sampling technique. Results showed that the average score of respondents was 0.455 (moderate) in exposure, 0.359 (moderate to low) in sensitivity, 0.404 (moderate to low) in adaptive capacity and finally, the vulnerability index (VI) was 0.470 (range of 0 to 1). 12.8% of households had low, 70.5% had medium and 16.7% had high vulnerability towards UL drying.
Highlights
Drying and destruction of Urmia Lake (UL) is one of the most important environmental issues in Iran, which has been considered by national, regional and international communities
The findings showed that the average vulnerability of rural households is 0.47 which represents the vulnerability of studied households to be modest
The vulnerability range of rural households in Shabestar varies between 0.31 to 0 607 which is more limited compared to the ranges of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity (Table 8)
Summary
Drying and destruction of Urmia Lake (UL) is one of the most important environmental issues in Iran, which has been considered by national, regional and international communities. UL and its catchments are of the important ecosystems of Iran, and have international and global importance. This lake and its small and large wetlands, having a variety of species of wildlife and plant species, serve as a natural balance in the climate of the region and its recreational value, tourism, social and medical value (mud therapy) has made it as a wetland of international importance registered in the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve [1]. More than seven million people are living in two neighboring provinces around the lake, and agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, handicraft making, apiculture, mining, business, and industry play a major role in the region [2]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
