Significance of investigating watershed stability

Authors
Hamed Beigi 1
Seyed Hamidreza Sadeghi 2
Mehdi Vafakhah 3
Vahid Moosavi 3
Michael Maerker 4
1 Ph.D. student of Watershed Science and Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University.
2 Professor (Corresponding author) Department of Watershed Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tarbiat Modares University,
3 Department of Watershed Management Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tarbiat Modares University
4 Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
10.22034/wmji.2024.2045207.1088
Abstract
Watershed health and sustainability have been oft-analyzed using related criteria. However, the concept of watershed stability, which refers to the ability of a watershed in a specific state of health and sustainability, in the sense of an ecosystem remaining in a sustainable or unsustainable, viable or non-viable, elastic or inelastic state is necessary to explain regulatory policies. Therefore, this research will focus on conceptualizing watershed stability to provide instruction and necessary policies for sound management of the watershed ecosystems. The strengths and weaknesses of the watershed system will be identified by assessing the status of watershed stability, and the sub-watersheds with various stabilities will be identified. In addition, the stress-causing and disturbing factors of each watershed will be identified. By relying on the capacities and potentials of the watershed and adopting a suitable management approach, the maintenance of the watershed will increase in a sustainable condition. Further, the recovery of its balance will be facilitated. The results of this research can be used to improve watershed health and sustainability through appropriate and practical management approaches.
Keywords
Ecosystem Service
Ecological Stability
Integrated Watershed Management
Watershed Management Modeling
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