Sustainability of environmental management in Iran: An ecological footprint analysis

Sustainability and environmental management are the most cited ideas linking the environment and development. The sustainability of natural resources depends upon our paradigm and related approaches to the relationship between society and the environment. Efficient management is a primary task due to the pressure on nature. Ecological footprint analysis has been introduced as an appropriate environmental management tool to address the environmental challenges that Iran is facing and to determine solutions. It is a resource accounting tool which could be applied in environmental planning and management focusing on natural resource consumption. Reviewing and analyzing the biocapacity (BC) and ecological footprint (EF) of Iran in the timeline of 1962-2011 was the main purpose of the study. Based on the findings, EF trend of the country has an increasing trend over time while the BC has a reverse trend. The consumption by farmers and other agricultural actors from resources has been greater than the country`s regenerative capacity regarding the BC and EF of cropland. The sustainability gap has been greater over time due to population growth and other related factors. Despite the different environmental rules and regulations, there was no improvement or progress in sustainability achievement in Iran. Returning to the condition in which EF equals BC is the least action required to decrease the pressure on nature. Effective and suitable environmental policies are needed in order to address the policy gap as well as reduce the EF level to the balance point by appropriate executive activities covering the implementation gap.