The Influence of the Plant Coverage on the Desertification Status of Jarghooye Region of Isfahan Using IMDPA Model

The issue of plant coverage, destroying it and the resulting influence on desertification process has long been taken into consideration by the scholars and researchers of different fields of study specially natural resources and agriculture. In many areas of the world, human being has played the main role, intentionally or unintentionally, in desertification or speeding up the rate of it. It has been accepted that proper and effective plant coverage slows down the rate of desertification to a great extent in an area susceptible for desertification and also it makes the condition conducive for changing the ecosystems into a better form. The current study has been done with the objective of determining the quantitative influence of the plant coverage in Jarghooye area on desertification in this region that is one of the most susceptible areas of the country. In this study, Iranian Model of Desertification Potential Assessment (IMDPA) was applied. This model is one of the valuable models for determining the level of desertification in different areas of Iran. The results of this study shows that the coverage exploitation index with the numeral value of 3.18 is in sever class and has the most influence on the indices studied in the region. Generally the plant coverage index of this area with the numeral value of 1.99 is indicator of the average influence on desertification process in Jarghooye region