Land Use Planning For Forest Catchments Of Arasbaran

In this study, land use palnning for six hydrological units (296690 ha) of
Arasbaran forest catchments (NW of Iran in Azarbaijan) has been
conducted. the main objectives of the plan were to promote sustainable
use, to increase living conditions , and enhance environmental conservation
in the region.
First, ecological and socio-economic resources were surveyed and mapped
(scale 1:50000). Then data analysis and integration with system analysis
approach were performed. As a result, 3556 micro-ecosystems were
mapped. Ecological capability of mapping unit (MU) was evaluated for:
agriculture, range management, forestry, ecotourism and conservation with
the aid of specified ecological models. Finally with coordination of socioeconomic
data and ecological capability of MU, periority of land uses with
qualitative-analogous method was established. At the end, map of land use
planning for six hydrological units was depicted for management
purposes.
The results show that %5.38 of allocated land use is suitable for irrigation
farming, %1.32 for dry farming, %17.43 for range management, %15.17
for protected forestry, %2.13 for forest plantation , %28.47 for' extensive
ecotourism, %0.01 for intensive ecotourism and finally .%30.09 for
conservation.