Evaluation of human activities in the watershed (Case study: Lalehzar watershed, Kerman)

The dynamics of human activities threaten the sustainability of global life-support systems. Analyze of anthropogenic transformation data play a central role in environmental problems evaluation. This study aims to analyze human activities in watershed. Studies and analyzes revealed that the anthropogenic transformation variables include the type, intensity and trend. Spatial and temporal patterns of the type of activity (land use), intensity and human intervention were studied using satellite images and field observation. The classification and land use map were done in two phases: The functional phase included the main land uses including agriculture, rangeland, urban and water resources, and the activity phase included ten types of land use. The study of the human interventions intensity in land use units was carried out based on the temporal extension of agricultural land development (agricultural land use), the rangeland condition assessment (rangeland land use) and the area extent of under influence (urban area and water resources). The results of land use studies identified that Rangeland lands cover 77.2 percent and agriculture, urban area and water resources land uses accounted for 21.5, 1.1 and 0.2 percent, respectively. The results of the intervention trend indicated that the trend continues from normal conditions to the replacement by technogenous structures. This trend has revealed growth of agricultural activity in rangeland and as well as the tremendous loss in cropland in uneven urban and industrial growth. The results of the study show the compatibility between the three variables of anthropogenic transformation; ie, the type, intensity and trend.