Prioritizing the influence of ecological factors on the selection suitable species for landscaping in arid land ( Case study: Dare Gahan Taft)

When developing urban green spaces, selecting and recommending suitable vegetation species is a crucial step. This is especially so in arid and semiarid areas where there are no forest or naturally occurring green spaces and the artificially created green cover requires especial attention. In arid and semi-arid land areas there is usually water restrictions and so it is important to choose native species for landscaping. In this study, using questionnaires completed by the experts, we studied the priority of eight species suitable for landscaping in Dareh Gahan forest park of Taft, using expert choice software. The aim was to evaluate the importance of four ecological factors including drought period, slope, aspect and soil depth on the growth of the suitable landscaping species. The results show the higher importance of drought period compared to other factors in determining the species of choice, as well as high-priority of native species (Amygdalus scoparia and Pistacia atlantica). We also need good practice in establishing the selected species in the area.