The Application of the Modified Analytic Hierarchy Process (mAHP) for Determining the Potential Habitat of AstragalusgossypinusFisch. in Isfahan Province

The destruction of (AstragalusgossypinusFisch.) habitats in Isfahan province has had several environmental and socio-economic impacts. To restore these habitats by means of planting AstragalusgossypinusFisch., determining its potential habitats in the province becomes essential. In an attempt to fulfill this objective, first, the significant environmental and biological factorsof A.gossypinusFisch.in different habitats of the provinces were selected. The relation between them was then examined and illustrated in the form of RDA graphs. Afterwards, using the length of the vector in each of these environmental factors in graphs, their ultimate impact on the final model was determined and the potential habitats of this species across Isfahan province were identified by means of AHP approach. According to the results, the ecological characteristics required for optimizing the growth of A.gossypinusFisch.in Isfahan province rangelands include: 200-400 mm of precipitation, 100 frozen days per year, about 8 degrees of slope, 160 ppm K in soil, 30% clay, 40% sand, and pH of 7.9.