Prioritizing Influential Criteria for Rangeland Suitability in Sistan, Iran: A DEMATEL-ANP Approach

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
R. Kazemi Kemmak 1
S. Noori 2
F. Ahmadi Mirghaed 3
1 MSc student in range management, Faculty of Water and Soil, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
2 Department of Range & watershed Management, Faculty of Water and Soil, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
3 Department of Environment, Faculty of Environmental and Marine Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
10.22034/ECOPERSIA.13.2.121
Abstract
Abstract

Aims: Land use planning based on the capacity of ecosystems plays a significant role in sustaining ecosystem service (ES) flows and the prevention of degradation. The present study aims to investigate the type and intensity of interaction between the effective criteria in evaluating the ecological capacity of rangelands using the DEMATEL-ANP approach in the Sistan region, southeastern Iran.

Methods: The criteria influencing the land suitability evaluation of rangeland development were prepared based on scientific sources and expert opinions. Subsequently, a questionnaire method was utilized to assess the interactions among the criteria and their pairwise comparisons, leveraging the insights of seven experts. The final weight of the criteria was then calculated and analyzed using the DEMATEL-ANP approach.

Findings: The findings indicated that the criteria of elevation (0.117), slope (0.132), soil type (0.069), and soil erosion (0.088) exhibited the highest weights in determining the land suitability of the rangeland. These results show the important impact of physical factors in evaluating the grazing capacity of rangelands.

Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that topographic and soil criteria are significant in the evaluation of land suitability for rangeland development in the Sistan region. Furthermore, it was ascertained that the DEMATEL-ANP approach enables the incorporation of the interactive effects of criteria in their prioritization for land suitability evaluation. This approach contributes to a more profound comprehension of the relationships between environmental criteria in evaluating land suitability for various uses.

Keywords
Land Suitability
Rangeland Development
Environmental Evaluation
Multi-criteria decision making
Sistan region

Subjects

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