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Risk Assessment of Land Degradation (RALDE) in Khuzestan Province, Iran

  • DEGRADATION, REHABILITATION, AND CONSERVATION OF SOILS
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Abstract

Land degradation lower land productivity, livelihood development and economic growth. Monitoring spatial and temporal changes in land degradation is a key contribution to understand their nature and causes, and to properly develop restoration and rehabilitation programs. The Khuzestan Province, Iran, was selected as study area to design, develop and test a new model. The Risk Assessment of Land Degradation (RALDE) model consider various indicators of land degradation based on a biophysical and socioeconomic approach. To determine the risk of land degradation, RALDE will identify areas that are more vulnerable and will improve the land planning. Data gathered from different governmental offices of Khuzestan Province and MODIS satellite data were used for this purpose. Maps of land degradation were produced after overlying the covers related to the biophysical and socioeconomic factors by means of a Geographical Information System. The Khuzestan Province was classified into subclasses with different probability of risk. In this method, the risk probability was evaluated according to trend and potential of degradation. Results showed that the range of degradation risk probability was between 7 to 88%. The areas under different subclasses of severe to very severe risk covered about 68% of the study area, showing higher threat of land degradation. The RALDE model contributes to a better understand land degradation processes and risk in different regions of the world.

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Funding

The authors express their sincere thanks to those governmental departments for preparing the information, maps and reports to carry out this project work. It is also necessary to thank Shiraz University for giving a grant no. of 91GCU3M75441 to advance the implementation of this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering, School of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    M. Masoudi & M. Elhaeesahar

  2. Full Professor, Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    A. Cerdà

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  1. M. Masoudi
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  2. M. Elhaeesahar
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  3. A. Cerdà
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Correspondence to M. Masoudi.

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Masoudi, M., Elhaeesahar, M. & Cerdà, A. Risk Assessment of Land Degradation (RALDE) in Khuzestan Province, Iran. Eurasian Soil Sc. 54, 1228–1240 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229321080135

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