An Integration of Remote Sensing and the DPSIR Framework to Analyze the Land-Use Changes in the Future (Case study: Eskandari Watershed)

The current research was conducted with the purpose of analyzing the land use change in a 20-year period. In this regard, an integration of remote sensing and the DPSIR framework was done to investigation of the land use change in the Eskandari Watershed located in the Zayandeh roud Watershed.

Through conducting a workshop and stakeholder interactions, a set of drivers (D), pressures (P), state (S), impacts (I), and responses (R) were identified and investigated in the DPSIR framework. Satellite images of Landsat 5 and 8 (2011 and 2021) and the Markov model for predicting the land use changes (2031) were used to investigate the dynamics of land use change. Maps of land use the three times, the focus group discussions (FGDs), expert’s experiences and stakeholders were applied using an interview and questionnaire methods to identify the changes components based on the DPSIR framework.

The findings of the research showed that in 2011, 2021, and 2031, irrigation and dry farming were the best kind of land use in the Eskandari Watershed, covering 42.16%, 40.66%, and 52.19% of the total area, respectively. Also, moderate rangeland (28.57%), in the Eskandari Watershed showed a declining trend.

Due to the increasing process of land use destruction in the future and the ineffectiveness of solutions in the past years, to prevent the cross-sectional strategy of the isusues, is recommended to use the DPSIR comprehensive approach for problem solving and optimal management responses