Pastoral community's vulnerability under extreme floodings accelerated by rangeland degradation among Turkmen transhumant, Northern Iran

Flood disaster is considered a significant natural hazard due to their devastating effects. The 2019 flood in Northern Iran drastically affected the lives of Indigenous Turkmen pastoralists. This work assesses the vulnerability of the pastoral families living in flood regions. We used the Geographical Information System, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, and semi-structured interviews to analyze the flood vulnerable areas. Initially, we interviewed 20 individuals and then formulated a questionnaire completed by 69 pastoralists in rangelands affected by floods in Golestan province. Result showed that 91% of the participants thought road networks and 76% thought livestock were the most affected components of the rangeland ecosystems in the 2019 flood. Moreover, we found supplementary feeding, watering costs, and forage quantity to be the most affected items in the economy of pastoral families. The main rangeland degrading factors were overgrazing, climate change, drought, and water shortages. The main reasons for overgrazing were the high prices of supplementary feeding, low forage productivity of the rangelands, and financial difficulties of pastoralists. We indicated that pastoral communities in the semi-arid rangeland of Northern Golestan were highly vulnerable to flood. Hence, proper management of rangelands and building pastoral family resilience requires the attention of nature conservationists and management organizations at the national level.

Automated summary

This study assesses the vulnerability of Indigenous Turkmen pastoralists in Northern Iran to flood disasters. The findings indicate that road networks and livestock are the most affected components of the rangeland ecosystems in floods. Additionally, the economy of pastoral families is heavily impacted in terms of supplementary feeding, watering costs, and forage quantity. Overgrazing, climate change, drought, and water shortages are identified as the main factors contributing to rangeland degradation. Proper management of rangelands and building pastoral family resilience require attention from national-level nature conservationists and management organizations.