abstract desertification could cause reduction of the ecological and biological potential of land which may occur both naturally and artificially. identifying and evaluating the effective factors in development of desertification is very important for better management of land. the aim of this research is to evaluate the sensitive input parameters in the desertification condition by using of ar...

Changes in the distribution and abundance of bird and small mammal species at urban-wildland edges can be caused by different factors. Edges can affect populations directly if animals respond behaviorally to the edge itself or if proximity to edge directly affects demographic vital rates (an ‘‘ecotonal’’ effect). Alternatively, urban edges can indirectly affect populations if edges alter the ch...

Mitigation to offset the impacts of land development is becoming increasingly common, with reintroductions and created habitat programs used as key actions. However, numerous reviews cite high rates of poor success from these programs, and a need for improved monitoring and scientific testing to evaluate outcomes and improve management actions. We conducted extensive monitoring of a released po...

the aim of this study was to develop a methodology to identify suitable habitat of the eurasian nuthatch (sitta europea) at kheyrood forest, northern alborz, iran. this study was carried out during spring to summer 2008. with attention to the area and topographic condition of kheyrood forest, patom, namkhane, gorazbon, cheler and baharbon were selected as data collecting series. the present stu...

The rapid and large-scale urbanization of peri-urban areas poses major and complex challenges for wildlife conservation. We used population viability analysis (PVA) to evaluate the influence of urban encroachment, fire, and fauna crossing structures, with and without accounting for inbreeding effects, on the metapopulation viability of a medium-sized ground-dwelling mammal, the southern brown b...

Restoration is frequently aimed at the recovery of target species, but also influences the larger food web in which these species participate. Effects of restoration on this broader network of organisms can influence target species both directly and indirectly via changes in energy flow through food webs. To help incorporate these complexities into river restoration planning, we constructed a m...

the main purpose of this paper is to present a fuzzy multi-criteria decision making (fmadm) model for appropriate location selection of a health center. therefore, we identify sixteen criteria and sub-criteria for selecting a health center location. these criteria and sub-criteria have been obtained from literature reviews and practical interviews. this paper proposes a method which combines th...