Developing a plan for management of Bashgol protected area (Qazvin) using the overlay method

Bashgol protected zone, with an area of 6/25198 hectare, is located in Qazvin province. Climate and weather in the area fall within the category of semi-desert areas. The vegetation in this area include the families of pepper, grasses, Compositae, and considering the protection and optimal vegetation in the area erosion is low. There is diversity of fauna and113 species in this region. In this study, it has been attempted to guarantee the stability of land by allocating the land uses fitting the land potency.
There are several methods for evaluation of ecological capability. According to the objectives in four areas, the conventional overlay method was used to assess the ecological capability which is in fact a basis for land use planning.
the wildlife habitat maps were overlaid in Bashgol protected area. The areas specified in terms of density of wildlife, sensitive habitats and ecosystems, rare and unique wildlife and having a certain genetic value along with the exquisite landscapes, animal passages, ecotones and the areas with a slope of over 70% were classified as the first priority protection (first class). The areas which fall outside the first class but were a wildlife habitat or passage were defined as the second class (the second priority protection).
Discussion and Overgrazing and illegal hunting, as the main challenges in the study area, have forced the wildlife, especially Central Alborz sheep and plain species, to leave their habitat and threatened their population. Therefore, these factors have made Bashgol a good candidate for being assigned as a protected area in the 4 regions managed by the Environmental Protection Agency. In land use planning in this area, it has been attempted to put all the sensitive areas which are valuable for protection under management only for biodiversity conservation.