There is no doubt that development and industrial growth have increased the welfare of the human society, but at the same time have created several social and environmental problems for human beings. Most of the time these problems are not originated from the development or technology by itself and are usually created by lack of considerations to the side effects and improper application of the industry and the technology. The southern coast of the Caspian Sea which has beautiful ecosystems and suitable environmental conditions has experienced a significant degradation of the environment in the forms of land-use change (forest, ranges, wetlands...) in the development processes. It is clear that a fast development, without considering its environmental impacts, could impose undesirable effects on environment and human welfare. The present study has been carried out by application of Land Degradation Model (L.D.M.) and also by objective modeling of ecological susceptibility of terrestrial ecosystems in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. Results indicate long-term environmental issues could not be solved rapidly by using technology alone, understanding of the reciprocal correlation between development and conservation of nature is required to achieve a sustainable development in the study area.
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