Monitoring vegetation changes in the dust center of Southwest Iran

Abstract

Abstract An area equivalent to 26,000 hectares of the dust center of southwestern Iran, located in Khuzestan province, was stabilized between 2015 to 2021 in the form of a biological stabilization and water distribution program. For biological stabilization, Prosopis juliflora shrubs were used and irrigation was done with tankers or furrows at intervals. The objective of this study was to utilize remote sensing technologies, geographic information systems, and field investigation to determine the vegetation changes in two time periods in seven regions within the South West of Iran, during the years 2016 and 2021 (Before and after planting), to show the impact of the native planted species on the natural environment. As the processed images show, there have been wide fluctuations in vegetation in the study area from 2016 to 2021. The slope of changes was positive in all the investigated points. In the first year of the research, in some areas, no plant species were seen or they were very scattered, but in 2021, plant species such as Salsola jurdanica, Atriplex leucoclada, Aeloropus lagopoides, and Bienertia cycloptera were observed with a high percentage of coverage. Of course, it should be noted that the region has a good seed bank. The results of monitoring vegetation changes in the dust center of Southwest Iran (2016–2021), revealed that the irrigation method of seedling area and precipitation conservation structure has an effective role in species diversity of local vegetation in deserts or restoration of fragile rangelands.