Land use planning for land management using the geographic information system (GIS) in the Loumir watershed of Guilan province in northern Iran

Land use planning is a science that determines the type of land use through studying the ecological character of the land as well as its socio-economic structure. It is possible to plan for the appropriate use of the land and to enhance the present management of the land use by utilizing Geographical Information System (GIS). To this end, our investigators identified and took steps toward developing maps to determine the ecological and socio-economic resources of the Loumir watershed that encompasses an area of ۲۰۸۸۴.۹۴ hectares. Digital maps were inputted along with explanatory data into an ArcGIS software application. In addition, all digital maps of layers including, elevation, slopes and aspects, soil texture, depth and structure, geology, iso-hyetal, iso-thermal, iso-evaporation, soil erosion, vegetation or canopy percentage, climate and water resources have been integrated- superimposed in the ArcGIS environment based on the Makhdoom analytical and systematic analysis model. Finally, land use planning maps of the Loumir Watershed were developed considering the ecological and socio-economic characteristics of the area. The results of the evaluation of the area indicated land use appropriateness and allocation as follows: ۶.۰۷ percent for level ۱ of agriculture, ۱.۱ percent for level ۲ of agriculture, ۴.۳۴ percent for level ۱ of forestry, ۵۳.۳۱ percent for level ۲ of forestry, ۱۱.۰۱ percent for level ۳ of forestry, ۰.۴۲ percent for conservation, ۰.۱۳ percent for level ۱ of range management, ۶.۱۶ percent for level ۲ of range management, ۱۴.۷۱ percent for level ۳ of range management, ۰.۳۴ percent for aquaculture and ۲.۴۱ percent for ecotourism.   REFERENCES Bocco, G., Mendoza, M., Velazquez, A. (۲۰۰۱) Remote sensing and GIS-based regional geomorphological Mapping-a tool for land use planning in developing countries. Geomorphology, ۳۹, ۲۱۱-۲۱۹. Cools, N., De Pauw, E., Deckers, J. (۲۰۰۳) Towards an integration of conventional land evaluation methods and farmers’ soil suitability assessment: a case study in northwestern Syria. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, ۹۵, ۳۲۷-۳۴۲. Espejel, I., Fischer, D.W., Hinojosa, A., GarcõÂa, C., Leyva, C. (۱۹۹۹) Land-use planning for the Guadalupe Valley, Baja California, Mexico. Landscape and Urban Planning, ۴۵, ۲۱۹-۲۳۲. International Geosphere-Biosphere Program Committee on Global Change, ۱۹۸۸. Toward an Understanding of Global Change. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. Makhdoom, M. (۲۰۰۱) Fundamental of Land Use Planning, Tehran University Press. pp. ۲۸۹. Mather, A.S. (۱۹۹۹) Land use and cover change. Land Use Policy, ۱۶, ۱۴۳. Taghvaye et al., ۱۴۹ Messerli, B. (۱۹۹۷) Geography in a rapidly changingworld. IGU Bull., ۴۷, ۶۵–۷۵. Pierce, S.M., Cowling, R.M., Knight, A.T., Lombard, A.T., Rouget, M., Wolf, T. (۲۰۰۵) Systematic conservation planning products for land-use planning: Interpretation for implementation. Biological Conservation. ۱۲۵, ۴۴۱–۴۵۸. Prato, T. (۲۰۰۷) Evaluating land use plans under uncertainty. Land Use Policy. ۲۴, ۱۶۵- ۱۷۴. Ramankutty, N., Foley, J.A. (۱۹۹۹) Estimating historical changes in global land cover: croplands from ۱۷۰۰ to ۱۹۹۲. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. ۱۳, ۹۹۷–۱۰۲۸. Rossiter, D.G. (۱۹۹۰) ALES: A Framework for Land Evaluation Using a Microcomputer. Soil Use and Management. ۶:۱, ۷-۲۰ Saroinsong, F., Harashina, K., Arifin, H., Gandasasmita, K., Sakamoto K. (۲۰۰۶) Practical application of a land resources information system for agricultural landscape planning. Landscape and Urban Planning. pp. ۱۵-۳۰. Solecki, W.D. (۲۰۰۱) The role of global-tolocal linkages in land use/land cover changes in South Florida. Ecological Economics. ۳۷, ۳۳۹–۳۵۶. Turner, B.L., Meyer, W.B., ۱۹۹۴. Global landuse and land-cover change: an overview. In: Meyer, W.B., Turner, B.L. (Eds.), Changes in Land Use and Land Cover: A Global Perspective. Cambridge University Press, England, pp. ۳–۱۰. Ward, D., Ngairorue, B.T., Kathena, J., Samuels, R., Ofran, Y. (۱۹۹۸) Land degradation is not a necessary outcome of communal pastoralism in arid Namibia. Journal of Arid Environments. ۴۰, ۳۵۷–۳۷۱. Wu, Q., Li, H., Wang, R., Paulussen, J., ۲۰۰۶. Monitoring and predicting land use change in Beijing using remote sensing and GIS. Landscape and Urban Planning. ۷۸, ۳۲۲–۳۳۳.

کلیدواژه ها:

Land use planning ، Geographic Information System ، Loumir watershed