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Nature conservation efforts cannot succeed without stakeholder participation. The inherent complexity of nature-based ecotourism has made the development of sustainable ecotourism operations a challenge, so it is essential to increase community stakeholder participation. Hence, this study investigates local community participation in Lar National Park (LNP) and the Jajrud Protected Area with the Sustainable Use of Natural Resource Areas (JPA) in Iran and evaluates how this influences the sustainability of ecotourism. This study found that in LNP, sustainable ecotourism development involving local communities is increasing because of the high level of attachment and interest to this part of pristine nature. In the JPA, the relationship between local community participation and ecotourism sustainability is significant too. As a result, natural habitats have been degraded and sustainability has decreased. To conserve these critically endangered natural areas, managers and decision-makers must increase community participation and education to encourage local communities to engage more in developing sustainable ecotourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GPS receivers are frequently used for engineering activities in forests; however, a number of factors, including natural barriers (mountain and tree canopy) in the forested areas, affect their accuracy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and precision of a consumer grade GPS (Colorado 300) receiver in road mapping. For this purpose, a length of 12.2 km of main forest road was selected in the Hyrcanian forest, northern Iran, and a ground truth map was extracted from the National Cartographic Center maps. The forest road was mapped in four seasons for three days to evaluate the seasons' effects on the location accuracy and five- and tenmeter buffers were used for the same purpose. The results of two-way ANOVA showed that there were significant differences in the precision and accuracy of the GPS receiver due to the season. The best and worst mean accuracy and precision were in spring (24.45 m and 24.97 m) and autumn (56.10 m and 53.65 m), respectively. The findings showed a positive effect of averaging (5-61% improvement in relation to season) on the position accuracy. Also, ANOVA did not show any significant differences between the overlay lengths due to season in both the five-and ten-meter buffers. It can be concluded that consumer grade GPS receivers could meet forestry needs. The averaged accuracies in spring are acceptable for many forestry applications and satisfy the mapping requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial distribution and mechanical properties of tree roots of three pioneer species of the Hyrcanian forest including alder, maple, and Persian ironwood. As these species are frequent in disturbed areas and also occur on slopes, they can be used efficiently for bioengineering measures. We also assessed the effect of season on the mechanical properties of roots and the increased cohesion of soil supplied by the roots of the examined tree species. Six sample trees were selected randomly for each species, and two trenches were dug on the uphill and downhill sides of each sample tree. We next estimated the root area ratio (RAR), tensile force, tensile strength, and root reinforcement at each side of each sample tree. Our results showed that in shallower depths was RAR higher, and near profi le walls exhibited significantly higher RAR than far walls. Downhill trenches likewise had significantly higher RAR values compared to uphill trenchers. On the otherhand, the RAR values did not significantly differ between the three tree species. Tensile force and strength versus root diameter followed a positive and negative power law relationship, respectively. Tensile force was highest for Persian ironwood roots and tensile strength was significantly higher in winter compared to summer. Root reinforcement was significantly higher in winter, for Persian ironwood, at downhill slopes, and for shallow soil layers. The effect of the distance from the stem was only significant for Persian ironwood. Since little information regarding mechanical and biotechnical properties of these species have been available, this study now helps us to understand the root characteristics of important pioneer species needed to evaluate their contribution to root reinforcement and slope stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]