natural sites with spiritual values are parts of land or sea that play key role in conserving biodiversity and cultural identity. the aim of this study is prioritizing protected zones with spiritual values. in the first step for this survey, based on literature review and according to multi criteria assessment, convenient conservation criteria were compiled, then for each of criterion, indices ...

brown bear (ursus arctos) is one of the most important carnivores in iran. however, information on its habitat associations is scared. based on ecological niche factor analysis (enfa) method, a summer habitat suitability model was developed for this species in the southern part of alborz protected area. our results showed that, brown bears prefer higher altitudes and northern aspects in their p...

Protected areas (PAs) are at the forefront of conservation efforts, and yet despite considerable progress towards the global target of having 17% of the world's land area within protected areas by 2020, biodiversity continues to decline. The discrepancy between increasing PA coverage and negative biodiversity trends has resulted in renewed efforts to enhance PA effectiveness. The global conserv...

the group size and behavior of goitered gazelle was studied over the year 2001 in kalmand-bahadoran protected area. gazelle groups showed no stable organization in kalmand protected area. in spring season, group size was smaller than other seasons and the largest groups were seen in winter. number of solitary gazelles increased during the mating season. adult males were territorial in mating se...

abstract caracal (caracal caracal) is a species of felidae which has a vast distribution in the central area ofiran. in this study, we gathered all records of caracal in yazd province during nine years (2002-2011). we also analyzed the results of intensive camera-trapping in 3 protected areas inyazd province. based on the results of the study 96 records of caracal were obtained in the study are...