Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology

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bazargan S, Rajaei F, Ahmadi Mirqaed F, Gholipour M. Monitoring the effects of land use and land cover changes on habitat quality in the Haraz watershed. Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology 2025; 13 (2) :49-63
URL: http://ijae.iut.ac.ir/article-1-1228-en.html

Habitat quality is a type of supporting ecosystem service that becomes fragile and vulnerable under the influence of land use changes. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of habitats in the Haraz watershed in Mazandaran province based on land use changes. The InVEST model was used to assess the quality of habitats in the study area. Land use images of three periods 2000, 2010 and 2020 were prepared using Landsat 7 and 8 satellite images in the Idrisi Selva environment. The results showed that the habitats located in the central part of the basin had the highest quality in the years considered, while the northern areas of the basin had the lowest quality. The rate of changes in habitat quality in the time periods 2000-2010, 2010-2020 and 2000-2020 indicated that habitat quality the hotspots are in the central regions and coldspots are in the northern parts. From 2000 to 2020, the coldspots of habitat quality have increased, while the hotspots have decreased. In general, from 2000 to 2020, habitat quality has decreased in 180,163 hectares and increased in 24,096 hectares of the region. Accordingly, it is necessary to adopt appropriate strategies in order to maintain the quality of its natural habitats in the development and conversion of land uses in the study area.