Analysis of the Influencing Factors on Land Use Change in Nomadic Territory (Case Study: Khash county)

Today, one of the most critical topics in land management and sustainable development is the knowledge of land cover or land use and the process of their changes. In fact, one of the main preconditions for the optimal use of land is to know the patterns of land use and the changes of each use over time because by knowing the changes over time, we can predict the changes in the future.

Purpose of the research: 

The current research aims to cognition the factors influencing the change of land use in the territory of nomads (Case study: Khash county).

The current research is descriptive-analytical in terms of research method, qualitative-quantitative in nature, and practical in terms of purpose. The data collection tool is (library and field (interview and questionnaire). The statistical population includes all the professors, managers, specialists and planning experts at the levels in Khash county, and the statistical sample size was determined by using the Delphi method to be 20 people. The data collection method in this research is interview and questionnaire. Data analysis was done using Delphi and F-ARAS methods.

Geographical area of research: 

This research was conducted in the nomadic territory of Khash county.

First, using the Delphi method in three rounds, the factors influencing the land use change in Khash, including five criteria (economic, physical, environmental, political-management and social) and 49 indicators, were identified and confirmed. Moreover, we used the F-ARAS model to investigate the effective dimensions of land use changes of Khash nomads. The findings showed that the physical dimension, with a weight of 0.409 and the social dimension, with a weight of 0.362, were the highest and the lowest significant factors.

Land use changes in the territory of Khash nomads due to many changes, especially the settlement of nomads, brought about environmental, economic, and social instability.