Hyrcanian forests conservation based on ecosystem services approach

Lush Hyrcanian mixed temperate forests are globally important ecosystems with considerable ecological and economic values and high variety of ecosystem services (ES). In this study, an ES-based approach is adopted to develop a spatial conservation framework for Gorganrood Watershed, northeastern Iran. In doing so, the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs modeling tool was implemented to spatially quantify a collection of five ES including soil retention, habitat quality (as a proxy for biodiversity), water yield, food supply and carbon storage. These services were integrated into a single layer based on the Total Ecosystem Services (TES) index. By performing correlation analyses, the type and the strength of relationships between ES, TES index values and different land features were analyzed to reveal which land-use categories at what locations are more capable to provide bundles of ES. Accordingly, Hyrcanian mixed temperate forests in the southern sub-watersheds of the area were detected to have higher potential for simultaneous provisioning of multiple ES. In addition, we show that biodiversity hotspots and provision of other ES are highly correlated and thus that conservation of one group can be beneficial for the other. Our findings are particularly applicable in areas where complex network of land-uses and limited resources are major barriers against effective conservation of Hyrcanian mixed temperate forests.