محسن شرافتمندراد

Multiple-use management of spatially heterogeneous arid ecosystems faces many challenges. In this study, an approach is introduced for multiple-use management of arid ecosystems in Esfandaqeh rangelands, south east of Iran. The ecological, social, and economic values of plant species were, respectively, determined using field data, the number of people consumption, and the market price for a given species. Determined ecological, social, and economic values were then weighted based on experts' opinion, and the total sum of weighted values was considered as the total value of each species. The value of plant communities was estimated with respect to their plant composition. Changes in plant communities due to different uses were plotted based on state and transition model. According to the results, the grazing intensity was lower in plant communities with diverse uses compared to the less diverse ones. There were significant relationships between species diversity and plant communities’ values (P < 0.01), but some communities with low species diversity had high total value due to the presence of important species such as Pistacia atlantica. Total community value increased with raising the ecosystem potential for multiple use. The highest community value belonged to the upstream shrubland with no trade-off between plants collecting and grazing due to the presence of medicinal and edible plants. There were degraded states where spot management is needed to restore them to a balanced state. The developed approach for multiple-use management helps land managers for sustainable development and maximum use of arid ecosystems.