Explaining Sustainable Landscape Indicators in the Rural Area of Iran Based on Experts’ and Professionals’ Assessment

Villages have been gradually established and developed in a natural environment using local materials and technology over the decades. People expanded the agricultural fields by managing water and rural forests serve as the sink of resources used by humans for daily life and agriculture. Current condition of a landscape can be a reliable indicator of future trends and areas in need of further attention. Moreover there are specific cultural backgrounds, which have influenced on the settlement patterns of regions and countries. So, many criteria must be considered in order to achieve sustainability. Given that the destruction of rural environments and its valuable elements is taking place, it is necessary to identify and explain the indicators of a sustainable rural landscape in accordance with the situation and conditions in Iran. The research method is exploratory, in which the main indicators of sustainable landscape are explained through a continuous and selective process of accreditation and through the evaluation of university professors, professionals, managers and decision makers in the field of rural. The results of 25 questionnaires (consisting of four dimensions and 130 indicators) were included in the evaluation. The respondents were asked to rank each indicator based on “related rate”, “importance” and “measurability”. The results show that the sustainable landscape of rural area is related to their multi-functionality services; spatial patterns of villages and natural resources. From the point of view of experts, the indicators of the sub-category “socio-cultural dimension” have had the greatest impact on the sustainable rural landscape.