The Ecological Sustainability Assessment of Rural Settlements with Emphasis on the Ecological Footprint(Case Study: Eslam Abad-e-Gharb)

 The increase in technology in the exploitation of natural resources and the increase in consumerism have led to environmental crises that threaten the stability of societies, especially rural societies. Consequently, it is important to evaluate the sustainability of these areas and to examine how resources are consumed and exploited. In the interim, one of the best indicators for evaluating sustainable development which emphasizes the amount of consumption with regard to ecological power, is the ecological footprint index. Thus by using the mentioned index, the present study analyzes the spatial pattern of the ecological footprint at the level of the region in Eslamabad-e-Gharb county.

 In terms of purpose, this research is practical and descriptive-analytical in nature.  Documentary and field methods have been applied to collect information. Based on three factors of natural location, distance from the county center and the number of households, 40 villages were selected from eslamabad-gharb county. Grounded on Cochran's formula, the minimal sample size of 360 household was determined. Using the Proportion formula, the share of each village in the number of questionnaire distributions was determined, To analyze the obtained data, the ecological footprint index was used in 6 factors of energy land, pastureland, arable land, forest land, water areas and built land. Moreover, Moran's i statistic was used to identify the spatial distribution pattern of ecological footprint in the study area, and IDW interpolation was used to zone eco-footprints.

The results showed that 72.5 percent of the 40 investigated villages, equivalent to 29 villages, are in unstable conditions and ecological deficit, and 11 villages have an ecological surplus. Meanwhile, the village of Barf Abad Aliya with -8351.23 global hectares has the largest ecological deficit and the village of Mian-Tang Mansouri with +2042 global hectares has the largest ecological surplus. Also, the local Moran's index identified the spatial pattern of footprint distribution at the county level as a cluster type with high value. Based on the interpolation of IDW, it was found that the northern and southern villages of the county, which often have a mountainous and forest location, are located in the middle and high footprint area, and the middle villages with a plain location have a low and very low footprint.

 The natural location of rural settlements influence their ecological footprint, so mountain and forest villages have a larger footprint than plain villages. This can be seen in the less access of these villages to resources as well as the small area of natural resource areas. On the other hand, the amount of energy consumption in the field of fuel is very high due to the environmental conditions in mountainous areas, which is much less in plain areas. Consequently, mountain and forest villages should be given more attention in resource consumption management and sustainability planning.