National Atlas of Desertification of Iran

It was published with the efforts of researchers at the International Desert Research Center of the University of Tehran and in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy.

With the efforts of researchers at the International Desert Research Center of the University of Tehran and in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy, the National Atlas of Desertification of the country was published. The implementation of this project began based on the agreement concluded between the University of Tehran and the Ministry of Energy in 2008. Considering the basic definitions and major criteria affecting the phenomenon of desertification, the main goal of preparing the National Atlas of Desertification is to depict the current situation of the destruction of land base resources (desertification intensity) digitally and visually at a scale of 1:2500000. This atlas includes 15 information layers of desertification criteria, each of which is classified into four classes (1 low, 2 medium, 3 semi-severe and 4 very severe). Along with the atlas, a guidebook is provided containing the specifications of the indicators effective in determining the four classes, tables, charts and illustrative images of the desertification effects of the indicators being evaluated.

The methodology used in the preparation of the National Desertification Atlas of the country is an Iranian model (IMDPA), which has been designed and used by using the results of foreign and domestic experiences and examining the strengths and weaknesses of different models in cooperation with professors and researchers at the University of Tehran. This model is designed in accordance with the technical, economic and social needs governing the existing physical and biological conditions of Iran and includes the application of the main criteria of climate, water resources, geology and geomorphology in homogeneous working units, soil resources, natural and man-made vegetation, wind and water erosion of the soil, and socio-economic criteria.

The results of the research conducted in the process of preparing the National Desertification Atlas of the country show that 59.30 percent of the total country is in the low desertification class, while Iran's share of this class in the world is 11.5 percent. Also, 91.57 percent of the total country is in the medium desertification class, which is compared to the world share of 15.6 percent. With the exception of the country's natural deserts, which account for about 67.9 percent, most regions of the country are subject to this destructive phenomenon at a rate of 89 percent.