Planning and Formulating Environmental Management Strategies of Anzali International Wetland for Sustainable Development

Strategic planning and management is one of the most important factors of management systems in an organization. The purpose of this study was to plan, develop and prioritize the environmental management strategies of Anzali International Wetland for sustainable development. For this purpose, at the first listing and determining internal and external factors were done using questionnaires and Likert scale. Then SWOT analysis and quantitative strategic planning matrix (QSPM) were used. The current strategic position of the environmental management of Anzali Wetland was recognized as defensive. Defensive strategies were prioritized according to the results of the QSPM matrix. The most important defensive strategies were attention to participatory planning, communication and regional cooperation in order to protect the ecological and economic services of the wetland with a score of 5.368 followed by improving and upgrading the integrated system of comprehensive management of the wetland with a score of 5.198. Strategic planning and management in Anzali Wetland can lead to optimal resource management and adoption of appropriate environmental policies in order to protect this wetland.