Document Type : Original Research
Authors
1 Environmental Research Institute, Academic Center for Education, Cultural Research (ACECR), Rasht, Iran
2 2 Environmental Research Institute, Academic Center for Education, Cultural Research (ACECR), Rasht, Iran
Abstract
Ecosystem threatment assessment is essential to monitoring, evaluating, and developing appropriate environmental management strategies. Amirkelayeh international wildlife refuge with an area of 1230 hectares is located in the Shirjoopasht village belonging to Rudbaneh section, Lahijan city, and Giulan province. In this research, first, library resources and the Amirkelayeh wetland ecosystem management plan (2020) were used to compile the criteria and sub-criteria of the research. 30 wetland stakeholders participated in the plan development. To extract and explain wetland problems a questionnaire with basic criteria was designed and sent to 15 experts. In the next step, the opinions of the experts were measured in terms of normality with the help of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Finally, using these components, the problems were analyzed using the method Fuzzy Delphi were ranked. The results of the ranking of the sub-criteria showed that the entrance of invasive species and the growth and decomposition of plant species with a score of 0.38 in the biological criteria, the reduction of the depth and surface of the wetland also, and the fertilizers and pesticide pollution in the physicochemical criteria with a score of 0.21 and 0.20 respectively had the highest ranks. Increasing the farming lands around the wetland with a score of 0.19, unsustainable water resources exploitation, and local communities’ economic issues with a score of 0.18 were identified as the most important economic sub-criteria. Illegal hunting with a score of 0.11 and lack of collaboration among stakeholders in wetland management with a score of 0.10 was the most important social sub-criteria, and finally, lack of awareness of local communities, managers, and stakeholders with scores of 0.31 and 0.30, respectively was the most important cultural sub-criteria. The use of other methods for quantification of wetland- threatening factors will be fruitful in achieving more accurate and complete results for the more successful implementation of the Amirkelayeh wetland ecosystem management plan and achieving sustainable development in villages around the wetland.
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