Adverse changes in rangeland vegetation can be considered as one of the criteria for land degradation. Some of these changes can be evaluated through monitoring the spatial changes of landscape parameters. This study aimed to investigate the landscape changes in Kezab rangelands of Yazd province, central Iran. Landsat satellite images of 1990, 2002, and 2013, and landscape metrics including Tot...

the aim of this study was to develop an optimal sustainable forest plantation based on goal programming and analytic hierarchy process (ahp) methods. this study was carried out in guilan province, north of iran. first of all, the ecological capability of the study area for plantation establishment/maintenance was evaluated based on multi-factor method and specific ecological makhdoum model by m...

Rangelands essentially comprise geographical regions dominated by grass with or without scattered woody plants. Rangelands are often considered to function primarily as feed for livestock. In this view, conservation and biodiversity issues are secondary. The alternate view involves recognising rangelands as a biome without a specific function, but where there is an implied responsibility for in...

forest roads are directions in natural habitats that used to transport wood products, secondary forest products and recreation. constructing forest roads causes trees clearing with specified width thus lead to direct or indirect changes in forest ecosystems and forest environment. this study aims to assess the changes of diversity and richness indices in main and secondary forest roads in a par...

livestock grazing and rangelands fire are important ecological disturbances influencing the vegetation and soil properties in rangelands ecosystem. this study was conducted to determine the effects of different burned treatments and distances from the water sources on some soil and vegetation properties of rangelands ecosystem. the experiment was conducted in lashgar dar rangelands. vegetation ...

Rangelands provide the main forage resource for livestock in many parts of the world, but maintaining long-term productivity and providing sufficient income for the rancher remains a challenge. One key issue is to maintain the rangeland in conditions where the rancher has the greatest possibility to adapt his/her management choices to a highly fluctuating and uncertain environment. In this stud...

Conversion of rangelands into cultivated land is one of the main challenges affecting the management of rangelands in Ethiopia. In order to inform policy makers about trends in land-use conversion, this study examined the drivers, trends, and impacts of land conversions in five locations selected in the Borana rangelands of Southern Ethiopia. This study integrated survey interviews from agro-pa...

Woody biomass dynamics are an expression of ecosystem function, yet biomass estimates do not provide information on the spatial distribution of woody vegetation within the vertical vegetation subcanopy. We demonstrate the ability of airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to measure aboveground biomass and subcanopy structure, as an explanatory tool to unravel vegetation dynamics in struct...