2026-08-19T20:48:38+03:30 http://ijae.iut.ac.ir/browse.php?mag_id=50&slc_lang=fa&sid=1

50-1251 2026-08-19 10.1002

Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology 2476-3128 2476-3217 doi 2024 13 4 A. Zarandian azarandian@gmail.com M. Ramezani Mehrian mehrian@samt.ac.ir F. Mohammadyari mohammadyari.f@sku.ac.ir R. Mousazadeh roya.mousazadeh@gmail.com N. Azizi nazizi@doe.ir Mangrove ecosystems play a crucial role in reducing soil erosion and retaining sediment. This study evaluates and economically values the ecosystem services related to prevention of soil erosion and sediment transfer in the Khorkhoran International Mangrove Wetland in Hormozgan province. The SDR model (from the InVEST suite) and the RUSLE equation was applied to simulate the spatial distribution of erosion, sediment accumulation, and retention. The modeling results showed that annual soil loss in the study area ranged from 0 to 350 tons per hectare, with the potential to increase up to 430 tons per hectare in the absence of vegetation cover. The findings indicated that vegetation prevents approximately 42,112 tons of soil erosion and 48,937 tons of sediment transfer to water bodies annually. The economic value of these services was estimated at 43.37 billion IRR for soil erosion prevention and 196.6 billion IRR for sediment transfer prevention, totaling approximately 240 billion IRR annually. These results emphasize the importance of preserving vegetation cover in natural resource management and suggest the SDR model as an effective tool for quantitative assessment and mapping distribution of the ecosystem services in question. Modeling RUSLE equation Service mapping Soil conservation InVEST SDR model Cost replacement method 2024 8 01 1 20 http://ijae.iut.ac.ir/article-1-1251-en.pdf 10.47176/ijae.13.4.15401

50-1253 2026-08-19 10.1002

Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology 2476-3128 2476-3217 doi 2024 13 4 M. Erfani maliheerfani@uoz.ac.ir F. Jahanishakib Jahanishakib@birjand.ac.ir Intervention in nature through the implementation of various development projects to meet the growing needs of the population is inevitable. Any intervention has both negative and positive consequences for ecosystem services; therefore, environmental impact assessment has been a focus of attention worldwide for decades. Ecosystem services valuation can serve as a complementary approach in environmental impact assessments, playing a significant role in development-related decision-making. Though, this has been ignored in the evaluation of infrastructure projects. The present study integrates environmental impact assessment approaches with the economic valuation of ecosystem services to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the Bandar Abbas–Kerman freeway construction project. The ecosystem services considered included sediment retention, water production, habitat quality, carbon sequestration, food production, tourism, vegetation quality, forage, and oxygen production. The results (updated based on the annual inflation rate) showed that the project imposed damages (costs) of 161,842,750,785 tomans and 332,307,472,031 tomans on ecosystem services in the construction and operation phases, respectively. Similarly, no benefit observed in ecosystem services during the construction phase, while the operation phase resulted in a benefit equivalent to 366,024,608,960 tomans. Consequently, the net damage from the implementation of this project was estimated to be 128,125,613,856 tomans. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Damage estimate Economic evaluation Ecosystem services 2024 8 01 21 40 http://ijae.iut.ac.ir/article-1-1253-en.pdf 10.47176/ijae.13.4.14532

50-1261 2026-08-19 10.1002

Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology 2476-3128 2476-3217 doi 2024 13 4 M. Tavakoli mohammadtavakoli5388@gmail.com M. Ahmadi mahmadi@iut.ac.ir M. Malekian mmalekian@iut.ac.ir A.R. Mohammadi armohammadi1989@gmail.com Habitat destruction, prey depletion, and human-wildlife conflicts pose significant threats to the Persian leopard. Ensuring long-term conservation of this species requires a comprehensive understanding of its distribution patterns and habitat connectivity. This study assessed the habitat suitability and examined the connectivity of ecological corridors for the Persian leopard within the Dena Conservation Complex and adjacent regions, a key stronghold for the species in Iran. Habitat suitability modeling was conducted using an ensemble approach that combined five models within the Biomod2 package in R software. The habitat suitability map facilitated the identification of key habitat patches and the modeling of corridors between them using the electrical circuit theory approach. All models demonstrated strong performance in identifying suitable habitats. The most influential factors affecting leopard distribution were prey presence, proximity to residential areas, forest density, altitude, and distance from roads. The results showed that 16.8% of the entire area assessed has high level of habitat suitability, increases to 20.9% in areas that are designated as protected zones. Corridor analysis revealed strong connectivity within protected zones but weaker connections in peripheral regions. Therefore, strengthening conservation efforts, especially in peripheral habitats, is crucial to ensuring the long-term conservation of the species across the region. Persian leopard Habitat suitability modeling Corridor assessment Core area. 2024 8 01 41 54 http://ijae.iut.ac.ir/article-1-1261-en.pdf 10.47176/ijae.13.4.8533

50-1256 2026-08-19 10.1002

Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology 2476-3128 2476-3217 doi 2024 13 4 F. Shahriari farzin.shahriari@gmail.com M.R Hemami mrhemami@gmail.com K. Azizi azizik@sums.ac.ir A.A Hanafi-Bojd aahanafibojd@tums.ac.ir Z. Niknaddaf zahraniknadaf@na.iut.ac.ir Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a significant zoonotic disease posing a serious threat to human health. Caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania, it is transmitted by specific vectors (sand flies) and can cause infection in vertebrate hosts (reservoirs: humans or animals). Due to the high prevalence of the disease in Fars province, the ecological niches of the main vectors and reservoirs were modeled using the MaxEnt algorithm to identify potential high-risk areas. Niche overlap among target species was analyzed using Schoener's D index. Results indicated that 8% of the total area of the province is highly suitable (>70% suitability) for the vector and reservoir species. The central parts of the province were identified as the highest-risk regions. The vector's habitat range was wider than that of the reservoirs, and a significant habitat overlap was observed between them. These findings provide a clearer picture of priority conservation hotspots for health system policymakers in managing this disease. Habitat suitability modeling Fuzzy logic Sandflies Rodents Schoener’s D index Zoonotic diseases. 2024 8 01 55 68 http://ijae.iut.ac.ir/article-1-1256-en.pdf 10.47176/ijae.13.4.14842

50-1262 2026-08-19 10.1002

Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology 2476-3128 2476-3217 doi 2024 13 4 R. Khosravi r-khosravi@shirazu.ac.ir M. Roohbakhsh roohbakhshmelika22@gmail.com R. Adavoudi roya.adavoudi@gmail.com M. Kaboli mkaboli@ut.ac.ir While numerous methods exist for kinship determination, their results frequently show incomplete concordance. To improve accuracy and reliability, we employed a multi-analytical approach in this study. Using blood samples from 20 wild sheep (Ovis gmelini) at the Miankotal Captive Breeding Site (Fars Province, Iran), we conducted a comparative analysis of kinship inference models based on nuclear microsatellite data. Initial simulations assessed each locus's discriminatory power for kinship determination. Kinship relationships were evaluated using multiple parentage analysis software (COLONY, CERVUS, and ML-Relate) and relatedness indices. The OarFCB304 and McM527 ranked as the highest and lowest in terms of information content for relatedness estimation. Although we observed agreement between methods, some discrepancies emerged. CERVUS identified three parent–offspring pairs with high confidence, whereas classification of these samples using ML-Relate and COLONY mainly indicated sibling relationships. Despite the fact the most likely kinship pattern in the population was half-sibling relationships, it is essential to reduce the likelihood of inbreeding through management actions such as introducing new individuals into the population. This study demonstrates that an integrative analytical approach incorporating kinship indices, parentage analyses, and biological information yields a more precise understanding of population kinship structure. Parentage analysis Captive breeding Kinship relationships Microsatellite Wild sheep. 2024 8 01 69 84 http://ijae.iut.ac.ir/article-1-1262-en.pdf 10.47176/ijae.13.4.836

50-1260 2026-08-19 10.1002

Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology 2476-3128 2476-3217 doi 2024 13 4 F. Mohammadyari mohammadyari.f@sku.ac.ir R. Mousazadeh Roya.mousazadeh@gmail.com M. Ramezani Mehrian mehrian@samt.ac.ir A. Zarandian azarandian@gmail.com Ecosystem services (ES) are essential indicators for assessing the value of natural ecosystem conservation and play a critical role in implementinig management decisions within protected areas. This study aims to fill the existing gap in evaluating ecosystem performance through the application of the ES framework. The InVEST model was used to map and assess habitat quality (HQ) as an ecosystem service across Khuzestan Province. The analysis covered both urban-human-modified ecosystems and natural ecosystems within designated protected areas. The economic value of habitat quality in both ecosystem types was estimated using national and international datasets and applying the benefit transfer method based on spatial modeling outputs. Based on the modeling results, optimal habitats—defined by favorable rainfall, diverse vegetation, and remoteness from threats such as development and fragmentation—are mainly concentrated in the north, northeast, and east, with scattered patches in the south and center  of the province. The annual economic value of habitat quality and biodiversity is estimated at 62.02 trillion Rials for the entire province, and 6.44 trillion Rials within the protected areas. Protected areas Spatial economic valuation Ecosystem services of Khuzestan Province 2024 8 01 85 100 http://ijae.iut.ac.ir/article-1-1260-en.pdf 10.47176/ijae.13.4.15491