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Geostatistical analysis of the effect of land use changes and abandonment on soil quality in the southern Zagros Forest ecosystem, Deh Sheikh watershed
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Mehdi Heydari   , Sina Attarroshan |
| Ilam university |
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Abstract: (236 Views) |
Land use change is an important driver of declining soil quality and ecosystem degradation. Forest ecosystems play a crucial role in maintaining environmental stability by providing favorable biotic conditions. However, converting them to other land uses significantly alters the soil's structure and function. This study aims to evaluate the effects of land use and abandonment duration on the soil quality index (SQI) and analyze its spatial distribution in southern Zagros forests (Dezpart County, Khuzestan Province, Iran) using advanced Kriging techniques. Four land types were selected: natural forest and abandoned forests previously used for understory agriculture, with abandonment durations of three, ten, and twenty-five years and a total of 96 soil samples were collected. The SQI was computed using the integrated quality index (IQI) approach. Then to provide soil quality maps, variogram modeling and the best-fit model the GS+ software used. Then, spatial interpolation was conducted using three kriging methods—ordinary, universal, and simple—within a GIS environment. The results revealed that soil quality was significantly influenced by land use (p < 0.05). The highest SQI value was observed in natural forest stands (0.63 ± 0.006), while the lowest value occurred in recently abandoned or fallow lands (0.26 ± 0.006). Of the variogram models, the linear model best fit the natural forest data; the exponential model best fit long and short-term abandoned lands; and the spherical model best fit recently abandoned lands or fallow lands. Simple kriging yielded the best interpolation accuracy for natural forests (RMSE = 0.97) and long-term abandoned lands (RMSE = 1.01). Ordinary kriging performed best for short-term abandoned lands (RMSE = 1.18) and fallow lands (RMSE = 1.57). The findings reveal that land-use changes and the amount of time since abandonment significantly impact soil quality and variogram modeling combined with kriging techniques effectively captured the spatial variability of SQI. These findings indicate that geostatistical techniques can be used effectively to monitor and manage forest ecosystems. |
Article number: 2 |
| Keywords: Land-use change, Soil quality, Spatial interpolation, Kriging, Variogram modeling |
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Full-Text [PDF 993 kb]
(235 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/05/23 | Accepted: 2025/07/9 | Published: 2025/07/9
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