Investigation of Structural Consequences of Shafarood Dam Construction on Forest Cover of Shafarood Watershed Using Landscape Ecology

Dam construction projects can affect the functioning of the landscape by reducing the integrity and increasing distruption, and consequently, this change in the landscape could affect the function of the environment. Quantifying landscape changes is performed using landscape metrics and their variety makes them to be widely used in ecological studies and solving environmental problems. The purpose of this research was to investigate the trend of structural changes in forest cover in Shafarood watershed due to the construction of Shafarood dam. To ths end, three Landsat satellite images were used during the peak season of vegetation cover in 2000, 2013 and 2017. Geometric and atmospheric corrections were applied to these images. Using the maximum probabilistic classification method, the land use maps of the area for each year were prepared. Land cover maps had overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient higher than 86% and 83%, respectively. The results indicated an increase in the fragmentation and destruction of habitat conditions in the Hirkani forests and an extensive replacement of forest cover with no vegetation areas. The results also showed that the decline in the number of forest patches between 2013 and 2017 caused short-term centralized demolition at the project site, while the construction of dam and related facilities, such as roads and lateral installations have not yet been completed. To protect natural resources, the development process should be coordinated with the constraints and capabilities of the ecosystem through precise environmental studies, the assessment and explanation of the environmental impacts of the projects on the environment, and the presentation of approaches for reducing and mitigation of the destructive effects of development projects.