Evaluation of the ecological capability of Bashgol protected area using zoning approach and assessment of feasibility of its upgrade to higher level of conservation

Assessment of land ecological capability as the core of environmental studies, is necessary before development for different uses. To achieve the planned objectives according to the IUCN, it is necessary for protected areas to be zoned in the process of evaluation of environmental capabilities. This study was done to determine the ecological capability and zoning of Bashgol protected area by systemic analysis method for the conservational reclassification of the Protected area. To achieve it, 1012 environment units in the area was achieved with preparing the map of stable and unstable ecological resources, and socioeconomic resources of area and its analysis and concluding by GIS (scale 1:25,000). The maps of ecological potential were prepared by comparing the homogeneous units with special ecological model of the area, and then with integration of units with the same usage, first base map of zoning and eventually the final zoning map with prioritizing and organizing the primary zones as the units of planning was prepared. The results showed that the percentages of the restricted nature zones, the protected zone, the extensive recreation zone, the other uses zone, the recovery and restoration zone, the buffer zone, the historic and cultural zone and the special use zone, are 25.14%(6133.14 hectares),58.41% (14250.99 hectares),0.32 %(77.4 hectares),13.63%(3324.65 hectares), 1.87%(456.87 hectares),0.6%(145.26 hectares),0.04%(9.12 hectares) and 0.005%(1.32 hectares), respectively. Due to the large extent of the protection zone, Bashgol area has high conservation value, but does not have one of the necessary zones (Intensive recreation zone) to be upgraded to national park level.