Volume 19, Issue 1 (3-2025)
مرتع 2025, 19(1): 14-31 |
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Taheri Mohammad Abadi N, Zare Chahouki M, Azarnivand H. Ecosystem Water Production Modeling of Rangeland in the Daryan Watershed, Semnan, Using InVEST Software. مرتع 2025; 19 (1) :14-31
URL: http://rangelandsrm.ir/article-1-1121-en.html
URL: http://rangelandsrm.ir/article-1-1121-en.html
Department of Arid and Mountains Regions Reclamation, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj
Abstract: (202 Views)
Background and objectives: Water resources are among the most essential ecosystem services provided by natural landscapes, particularly rangelands and watersheds. As critical components of hydrological cycles, rangelands contribute significantly to regulating surface and subsurface water flow, minimizing erosion, and enhancing water quality. The vegetation cover in rangelands plays a pivotal role in water conservation by increasing soil permeability, reducing runoff, and limiting evaporation losses. In arid and semi-arid regions such as Iran, where water availability is constrained and unevenly distributed, assessing the role of rangelands in water production and evaluating the impacts of land-use changes on hydrological processes is of utmost importance. This study employs the InVEST software to model water production in the Daryan watershed, Semnan Province.
Methodology: Spatial datasets, including maps of average annual precipitation, land cover, plant-available water capacity, and root-restricting layer depth, were compiled and processed within the InVEST software framework. Using these inputs, the volume of producible water (m³/year) was estimated for each sub-watershed within the study area.
Results: The findings indicate that the Daryan watershed generates approximately 95.82 million cubic meters of water annually. Among the sub-watersheds, C2 exhibited the highest water production (7 million cubic meters per year), while C15 recorded the lowest (0.48 million cubic meters per year). A comparative analysis of water production volumes across baseline, current, and future scenarios suggests that by the year 1410 (2031), water production across all sub-watersheds will decline by 13.5% relative to the present conditions.
Conclusion: Given the prevailing climatic and physiographic conditions, future projections indicate a decline in water production in the Daryan watershed, accompanied by increased evapotranspiration rates. These environmental shifts pose significant risks to local water resources and vegetation stability, potentially exacerbating land degradation. The quantitative assessment of water production as an ecosystem service provides a valuable framework for regional land management planning. By integrating long-term ecosystem service evaluations, sustainable land-use strategies can be formulated in alignment with regional capacities, ensuring effective water resource conservation in similar arid landscapes.
Methodology: Spatial datasets, including maps of average annual precipitation, land cover, plant-available water capacity, and root-restricting layer depth, were compiled and processed within the InVEST software framework. Using these inputs, the volume of producible water (m³/year) was estimated for each sub-watershed within the study area.
Results: The findings indicate that the Daryan watershed generates approximately 95.82 million cubic meters of water annually. Among the sub-watersheds, C2 exhibited the highest water production (7 million cubic meters per year), while C15 recorded the lowest (0.48 million cubic meters per year). A comparative analysis of water production volumes across baseline, current, and future scenarios suggests that by the year 1410 (2031), water production across all sub-watersheds will decline by 13.5% relative to the present conditions.
Conclusion: Given the prevailing climatic and physiographic conditions, future projections indicate a decline in water production in the Daryan watershed, accompanied by increased evapotranspiration rates. These environmental shifts pose significant risks to local water resources and vegetation stability, potentially exacerbating land degradation. The quantitative assessment of water production as an ecosystem service provides a valuable framework for regional land management planning. By integrating long-term ecosystem service evaluations, sustainable land-use strategies can be formulated in alignment with regional capacities, ensuring effective water resource conservation in similar arid landscapes.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2022/01/31 | Accepted: 2025/05/4 | Published: 2025/03/30
Received: 2022/01/31 | Accepted: 2025/05/4 | Published: 2025/03/30
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