Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Sayedeh Alemohammad ¹
• Ardavan Zarandian ²
• Jalil Badam Firouz ³

¹ Department of Innovation and Sustainability, Faculty of Governance, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

² Department of Environmental Assessment and Risks, Research Center of Environment and Sustainable Development, Tehran, Iran.

³ Department of Environmental Economics, Research Center of Environment and Sustainable Development, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Protected areas are increasingly subjected to anthropogenic threats. Zanjan Province is a clear example of this conflict. This study aimed to spatially and quantitatively assess the simultaneous impact of anthropogenic threats on habitat quality across the province and to establish a conservation prioritization framework. The methodology was based on the Relative Habitat Quality model in InVEST software, calculating the cumulative effect of threats (including urban settlements, industrial land use, railways, main roads, secondary roads, rural roads, and agricultural lands) by considering distance, weight of each threat, inherent sensitivity of land cover types, and the moderating role of protected areas. Outputs included continuous maps of cumulative degradation and relative habitat quality. Average habitat quality in the province is 0.42, and average degradation degree is 0.18, exhibiting a clear inverse spatial relationship. High-quality cores were predominantly concentrated in dense northeastern forests and dense northwestern rangelands, while high-degradation hotspots coincided with urban and industrial areas and the intersections of major communication routes. A quantitative assessment of the four protected areas formed the basis for developing an innovative four-tiered framework for prioritizing management actions. Identifying areas of exceptional habitat quality outside existing protected areas revealed a clear gap. Zanjan's protected areas, despite their considerable coverage, are vulnerable to external pressures. These results do not negate the current values of these protected areas, but rather provide policy recommendations for optimal allocation of resources and conservation actions, while highlighting the need for further complementary studies.

Keywords

• Conservation Prioritization
• Protected Areas
• InVEST
• Policy Recommendations
• Zanjan Province