Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology

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Niknaddaf Z, Mazloumi Z, Nemat allahy S, Pourmanafi S, Fakheran S. Assessing Changes in Habitat Quality for Shorebirds in Chahakhoor International Wetland Using the InVEST Model. Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology 2024; 13 (1) :31-45
URL: http://ijae.iut.ac.ir/article-1-1224-en.html

Globally, bird populations are experiencing a significant decline due to disruptions caused by human activities. The Chahakhoor International Wetland, as one of the important bird areas, is located in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. In this study, we evaluated the habitat quality of Chahakhoor over an 11-year period using the InVEST model. Land use and land cover maps for 2013, obtained from the Forests and Ranges Organization, and for 2024 were prepared using Landsat 9 image classification, employing a supervised method and the random forest algorithm. The results showed that habitat quality for waterbirds in this wetland declined by approximately 20% from 2013 to 2024. Additionally, changes in land use and land cover indicated reductions in water resources, dense vegetation, and average pasture land, while areas allocated for villages, cities, roads, and agriculture increased. Overall, our findings suggest that the decline in the abundance of many surveyed waterbird species in Chahakhoor Wetland is likely associated with the decline in the habitat quality over the 11-year period. This highlights the urgent need for conservation initiatives aimed at restoring and protecting this wetland, which supports bird populations.