Desertification risk assessment of Incheh-broun area in Golestan Province using ESAs model

In order to develop a clear and realistic desertification control plan, identifying and evaluation of processes as well as causes and current status of desertification are the basic needs of arid zones. In present study, the desertification assessment of Incheh – broun area in Golestan province was performed using three indicators of ESAs model (soil quality, vegetation cover quality and climate quality). Therefore, the map of each indicator was obtained from the geometric mean of its layers. From the geometric mean of these indicators and by classification of obtained map, the desertification sensitivity map of the study area (ESAI) was obtained. Finally, the study area was classified in three classes [no sensitive (7.64%), fragile (14.41%) and critical (77.95%)]. The results demonstrated that poor drainage, heavy texture of soil, poor vegetation cover, besides climatic factor are the most important factors of desertification in the study area causing desert conditions. With regard to the results and in order to prevent the advance of desertification processes, the biological and mechanical land improvement techniques such as plantation of species resistant to heavy and saline soils and construction of drainage in water logging lands are recommended.