Vulnerability Assessment of Wetland Ecosystems Based on their Ecological and Hydrological Values

This study has been done to provide a method for vulnerability assessment of wetland ecosystems based on their ecological and hydrological values and threatening factors. At first, wetland values and their threatening factors have been reviewed and rated. Next, the relations between wetland values and their threats have been assessed. By multiplying the scores achieved by all factors studied, the vulnerability of wetland values are calculated, and finally management strategies to deal with the most important threats are presented. Shadegan international wetland, which is located in Khuzestan Province, was chosen as a case study and according to the proposed method was assessed. According to the results of this study, ecological values such as aquatic fauna, aquatic flora, ecologically sensitive areas, wetland biodiversity, and hydrological values such as hydrological stability, storing the overflow water and preventing from flooding are the most important wetland values that are exposed to threats such as variation of hydrological regime due to upstream activities, inflow industrial contaminants to the wetland, indiscriminate exploitation of the vegetation and aquatic resource of the wetland and land use change in wetland habitats to agricultural land. By developing vulnerability assessment for Shadegan Wetland, the most effective strategies in the ecosystem approach for the best management were presented.