Assessment of Landscape Services in Suburban Area of Eastern Saleh Abad, South of Tehran.

Landscape services (LS) link structure, function and ecological values. This approach is an alternative to analysis of the suburban environment. By focusing on target social groups, this approach serves an alternative to ecosystem services. The present manuscript seeks to analyze the landscape services in the Saleh Abad area, the suburb of Tehran (Capital of Iran). For this purpose, LS indicators were extracted from literature in three axes: provision, regulation and culture. Then, all indicators were evaluated based on field surveys and interviews with residents. The results were processed in the form of LS quality and capability maps. The outputs were combined using weighted overly. The result provided a base for LS zoning in the region. Finally, the four protective, defensive, offensive and opportunistic strategies were allocated to each zone based on the differences in the capabilities and quality of each zone and consideration of their environmental characteristics. The results show that heterogeneity is evident in the use of space, while the study area is subject to change and the capabilities of space are not used appropriately. The use of landscape services provides a suitable context for strategic model development that commensurates with the potential of the area. If used in a principled manner, it can guarantee the integrated development of the suburban area. However, the link between these services and the formal planning system is the subject of more extensive studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]