Vulnerability assessment of environmental issues to desertification risk (Case Study: Khezrabad Region, Yazd)

Vulnerability assessment often needs vast spatial information. Remote sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) can manage and analysis information acceptably. Therefore in this research vulnerability assessment of environmental issues to desertification risk has been assessed in Khezrabad region using management tools and in framework of developed Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and application of Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI). The obtained results show that %8.894 of the area has high vulnerability to desertification and %14.633 of the area has severe vulnerability to desertification and %63.516 of the region has moderate vulnerability to desertification. The results show that provision of EVI in assessment of desertification intensity is suitable and considerable. The obtained results provide better planning for desertification minimizing in relation to development projects and the balance between development projects and environment can be possible according to priorities and vulnerability hazard zonation of the area.