Assessment of de-desertification approaches using multi-attribute decision making and principal factor analysis

Desertification is one the main problems of arid and semi-arid ecosystems in the world. The rapid growth of human population and excessive exploitation of resources have exacerbated the negative consequences of this phenomenon, such as poverty, diseases and human growth inequalities. So, In order to control and reduce desertification, presenting important strategies based on all the effective factors is necessary. This paper aims to provide a systematic and optimal de-desertification approach in a group decision-making model. For this aim, within the framework of multi-attribute decision-making procedure, a decision matrix was obtained by Delphi method. Then, the approach priority was determined by principal factor analysis. Based on the results, among 40 investigated strategies and 16 criteria, the strategies of development and reclamation of plant cover (A23), change of irrigation patterns (A33), prevention of improper change in land use (A18), and control of using groundwater sources (A31) were selected with the priority rates of 0.6122, 0.5102 and 0.4391 respectively. Thereby, they were introduced as the most important strategies to deal with desertification in the study area. The results and the ranks obtained in this study can be considered in projects of controlling or reducing the effects of desertification and in the plans for rehabilitation of degraded lands.