Prioritizing of the Hyrcanian Proposed Sites for Inscription on the UNESCO´S World Heritage List by use of Decision Making Methods

Hyrcanian forests are one of the most valuable forests in the world, dating from about 25 to 50 million years old. Climate variation, unique plant and animal species accompany with habitat diversity have made these forests one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth and worthy of being listed on the UNESCOchr('39')s World Heritage List. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to use both Delphi and Ideal Point methods to identify effective criteria and prioritize proposed habitats for inscription on the UNESCOchr('39')s World Heritage List. For this purpose, five habitats from east to west of the Hyrcanian forests including Golestan National Park, Afra Takhteh Yew Forest (Golestan Province), Zarbin Hassanabad Chalus Forest, Kojoor Forest (Mazandaran Province) and Lomer Forest (Gilan Province) were selected. The results of this study showed that Golestan and Afratakhte with 0.8 and 0.5 points have the highest potential for listing on the UNESCOchr('39')s World Heritage List. In contrast, habitat access, animal species dispersal and disasters such as floods and fires have a negative impact on inscription of the sites. According to the results of this study, prioritization of habitats for inscription is very consistent with criterion X؛ and finally criteria such as endemic species and IUCN endangered species can have a significant impact on the selection of a habitat as a proposed habitat for inscription.