Geobiodiversity Assessment of Oshtorankuh Region Based on GBI Index

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Various biological and geological processes, especially erosion, lead to the diversity of environmental features, which are studied under concepts such as geodiversity and biodiversity. In recent years, a new concept called geobiodiversity has been introduced, which focuses on places with high geodiversity and biodiversity importance. Considering the importance of identifying these areas for conservation purposes and sustainable uses, in this research, the geobiodiversity of the Oshtorankuh area located in Lorestan province has been investigated. The research data includes various elements of geology, geomorphology, water, soil, vegetation and environmental protection level, which have been collected through library-documentary and fieldworks. In the next step, the GBI index has been used to achieve research goals and data analysis. This index evaluates and integrates four sub-indexes of geodiversity, geomorphology, vegetation and protection levels through the creation of hexagonal cells and an analytical matrix, and finally identified the areas with high geobiodiversity value. The obtained results showed that in terms of geodiversity index, more than 62 percent; in terms of geomorphology index, about 59.35 percent; in terms of vegetation index, about 59.20 percent of the studied area have high and very high values. While in terms of protection index, more than 70 percent of the studied area is distributed in low and very low protection levels. Finally, in terms of geobiodiversity, the number of 2587 hexagonal cells (44.35 percent of the area) have a high and very high value, which are mainly inside the Oshtorankuh protected area, especially in the east and south of Gahar Lake, along the Neygah Valley and in the Vazmdar area have been distributed. Therefore, it is necessary to implement an integrated management approach to preserve the geobiodiversity values in the Oshtorankuh region by the relevant organizations and with the participation of local communities.
1-Introduction     
Geobiodiversity is a very new concept that has recently been introduced in the literature. This concept is a combination of two concepts of geodiversity and biodiversity, which emphasizes places that have both geodiversity value and biodiversity value. These sites offer a wide range of geological, geomorphological and biological values ​​that need to be assessed for conservation and sustainable exploitation purposes. Oshtorankuh region, as a protected area in Lorestan province, is one of the characteristic areas of this valuable ecosystem. Oshtorankuh has a very high plants and animals’ biodiversity with 600 plant species and 274 species of animals. Also 600 plant species identified in the protected area of ​​Oshtorankuh, 68 species are endemic to the region. In addition, this area is very significant in terms of geology and geomorphology, so that, different types of fluvial, glacial (quaternary), structural and etc. landforms can be observed in the area. Therefore, a set of biological and geological potentials such as the Gahar dam-glacial lake and other natural landscapes has provided the basis for scientific, research and tourism activities in this area. However, a comprehensive study has not yet been conducted in this regard. Therefore, the main purpose of the present study is to investigate and determine the areas of high geobiodiversity in the Oshtorankuh region as a basis for planning the conservation and sustainable exploitation of the potentials of this region.
 
2-Materials and Methods
In this study, to achieve the goals and show the areas with high geobiodiversity value in the Oshtorankuh region, the available spatial data were collected through online geographic databases as well as relevant organizations. In general, the research data include geology (lithology and fault), vegetation (density and plant species), protected area Oshtorankuh (border and protection level), soil, digital elevation model (DEM) with a resolution of 10 meters and finally, geomorphology (landforms) and geobiosites (places that include geosite and biosite features) that in the present study identified through fieldworks, review of previous related studies and Google Earth satellite imagery. In the present study, the geobiodiversity index (GBI) elaborated by Steinke (2021) has been used to analyze the data. The GBI index is broadly based on geographical elements in a complex analysis of the study area. In addition, this approach has taken into account the scientific, economic, aesthetic and functional values of geodiversity and biodiversity elements in determining areas with geobiodiversity value.
 
3- Results and Discussion
Based on the obtained results, 857 hexagonal cells with an area of 356.25 square kilometers and 1730 cells with an area of 719.15 square kilometers, respectively, represent areas of great value and importance in terms of geobiodiversity, which cover about 45 percent of the studied area. These areas are mainly distributed within the protected area of Oshtorankuh, especially in the east and south of Gahar Lake, along the Neygah valley (the area between Gahar Lake and Ney village) and also the southern area of Vazmdar village, which requires special attention to promote the protection and sustainable use. Also, in the northern part of Gondab village, which is part of the protected area of Oshtorankuh, hexagonal cells of great importance have been distributed, which shows the high importance of these areas. In addition, 1343 hexagonal cells with an area of 558.27 square kilometers (23.02 percent) show the average importance of the region in terms of geobiodiversity index. Finally, 979 hexagonal cells with an area of 406.96 square kilometers and 924 cells with an area of 384.1 square kilometers are low and very low in terms of geobiodiversity index, which covers 32.62 percent of the study area. These areas are mainly related to residential and agricultural lands that are distributed in the northern half of the study area, especially around the city of Azna and the north and east of the city of Dorud. Finally, the implementation of the GBI index and the use of the hexagonal cell approach showed that the GBI is an efficient index. So that the validity of the results of this index was confirmed at a very good level through control points and the ROC curve.
 
4- Conclusion
Oshtorankuh region has a high potential in terms of geodiversity and biodiversity. So that the types of lithological formations, soils and surface waters show the geodiversity of the region, various studies at the national and international levels have emphasized the importance of this diversity, especially in the field of tourism and sustainable development. In addition, various landforms in the region, especially the high peaks of Oshtorankuh, glacial circuses and Gahar Lake, deep and very beautiful valleys such as Neygah valley, debris and alluvial fans, rivers and terraces, plains alluvial etc. indicate high diversity and geomorphological richness in the region. Also, the presence of various plant types and species in the study area indicates the high richness of biodiversity in Oshtorankuh. In total, hexagonal cells, which show a high and very high class of geobiodiversity index, reach 2587 cells (44.35 percent of the area). Therefore, while considering the results of the present study, it is necessary to implement an integrated management approach in the study area, especially in protected areas with the active participation of all stakeholders to preserve these values for current and future generations. 
 

Keywords

References

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