Journal of Global Resources

Volume 4 (02)
July 2018
ISSN: 2395-3160 (Print), 2455-2445 (Online)

Page 96-102

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PROMOTION OF CONSERVATION POLICIES AND BIODIVERSITY STRATEGIES IN DENA
BIOSPHERE RESERVE
Mahmood Yekeh Yazdandoost
Department of Environment (DoE), IranEmail: yazdandoost3000@gmail.com
Abstract: Biosphere reserves are the most important management tools for biodiversity
conservation and its sustainable use. On the promotion of conservation policies and biodiversity
strategies this area is evaluated as advocating the "Ecosystem Approach" to the in situ
conservation of natural ecosystem and landscapes, as well as the diversity there within, whichcorresponds to what Biosphere Reserves are all about valuable biological diversity of the area
for conducting scientific research and ecotourism activities considered an important element forthe creation of unique sustainable development model in Dena.
Key words: Dena, Biosphere Reserve, Biodiversity, Sustainable Development
Introduction
Dena with the area of 938,721 ha is located in south-west of Iran with geographical location of
51o 9' to 51o 37' longitude and 30o 52' to 31o 14 ' latitude. It is a mountainous area with steep
slope, and located in north-west of Kaleh-Goleh with 1,359.2 m of height. The mountains has
general slope of more than 60 percent and snowy precipitation regime. There are low
vaporization and transpiration levels and high degree of the potential flood plain. Dena is thecontinuation of Zagros Mountainous ranges. The bio-geographical region situated in mountainbiome, as "Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest". The presence of at least 1200 plant species
with 50 endemic species would approve the value of the site to be considered as within the
WNBR (World Network of Biosphere Reserves). Moreover, there are 90 plant families whichcorresponds to 60 percent of total plant families in Iran; 430 plant genus from total of 1215 plantgenus which corresponds to 35 percent in Iran; 1201 plant species from total 7502 plant species
which corresponds to 16 percent in Iran and 50 endemic plant species which corresponds to 17
percent of total endemic plant species in Iran. There are also 128 medicinal plant species, 110
wild plant species, 84 species of plant which contain chromogen compound and 61 edible plant
species which reveals the medicinal, edible, and conservation values of plant species in Dena.
Because of the presence of pastoral nomads and their impact to the environment, Denaconsidered as one of the most critical ecological area in the Zagros mountainous region.
Through integrated ecosystem approach planning, local communities become part of theecosystem, to get them fully involved for conservation and sustainable use of resources.
Valuable biodiversity status in Dena is the best opportunity in seeking concrete solutions toreconcile biodiversity conservation with sustainable use of natural resources, for the benefit oflocal people, based on common approaches. Promoting sustainable development andassociated cultural values in the area is a primary means for building the local constituency forconserving biological diversity in the landscape (UNESCO, 2015). For enormous contributions tothe conservation of biological diversity in Dena, complex biological, ecological, legal, financial,social and managerial systems must be successfully integrated. Hence Dena Biosphere
Reserve could be used as a tool for implementing the main objective of the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD), which indicates about: "The conservation and sustainable use of
biological diversity and, fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization ofgenetic resources."96Local Communities
Dena has ancient historical record and is in close relation with Iranian culture and tradition.
Nowadays, all the economical activities of the residents are taking place in the forest andsurrounding areas. There is a close relationship between the forest and foresters. Forest is themain source for the population and also livestock. The most important exploitation activities fromthe forest within this area include:
1. Cultivations in forest;
2. Exploitation of the forest wood as fuel and rural construction;
3. Exploitation of forest and surrounding areas for grazing;
4. Exploitation of accessory products; and,5. Dry farming development
Pastoral and tribal life styles with their special habits such as animal hunting are characters of
their specific social structure. In Dena there is still transferring of pastoral nomad’s activities tothe next generations. Even in small numbers, this continuance in transferring means history,
culture and millennium life style conditions; the feature which has historical and cultural values.
ClimateBased on DOMARTIN climate classification system, Dena is classified as very wet andMediterranean area and based on EMBERGER classification system, Dena is classified as cold,
wet and cold, semi-wet areas. Based on these results, this area in addition to having more
average precipitation in comparison to the surrounding areas has less annual temperature too.
Since Dena contains mountainous biome as well as plain biome, these biomes further are
categorized into diversity of biomes. According to the diversity in biomes, the diversity of habitats
takes place, like; fresh water habitat, littoral habitat, plain habitat and mountainous habitat. In
addition to natural habitats, presence of farmlands brings about agricultural habitats andintroduction of new animal species. In Dena heights there are inter-zonal biomes. This means
that, Dena’s crest-line divide the region into different climatic conditions. Different climate is agood reason for different land vegetation cover and also different biological combinations. The
western part has typical feature of Zagros biome and the eastern part has the natural feature of
the Central biome of Iran. The eastern part has mostly steppe feature. In this area, the valleys
with special microclimate are different from the other areas. However, although these arable
valleys are located in the territory of Dena protected area, most of them are residential and iscovered with garden plantation and agricultural practices. Therefore the animal species which
are compatible with the agro-tops exist in this area. In western part because of 2 following
reasons animal diversity is more than the eastern part:
1. More natural landscapes diversity and accordingly more animal habitats; and,2. Presence of safe and pleasant natural environment
Present Network and Definition
The Protected areas are considered the key global strategy for the conservation of species
population's and habitats (Geldmann et al., 2013; UNEP-WCMC & IUCN, 2016). The protectedareas number has been continuously rising, and is currently estimated at 217,155 in 244
countries (excluding UNESCO BRs) covering 14.7 percent of terrestrial regions and 10.1 percent
of marine areas within national jurisdiction (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN, 2016). In parallel, BR modelof site protection under international programs with a conservation focus and component tocontribute to the global sustainability agenda has been flourished (Schaaf and Clamote
Rodrigues, 2016). UNESCO BRs organized into a network of 669 in 120 countries (UNESCO,
2016a). UNESCO's early definition of BRs is: "Protected areas of representative terrestrial andcoastal environments which have been internationally recognized for the value in conservationand in providing the scientific knowledge, skill and human values to support sustainable
development" (UNESCO, 1984). In light of the complex evolution of the MAB (Man and the
Biosphere) program, BRs have now reached a more sophisticated definition: "Biospherereserves are science for sustainability support sites - special places for testing interdisciplinary
approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social andecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity" (UNESCO,
2016a).
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Zonation System
In Biosphere Reserves the Zonation system comprises of 3 distinct zones (Ishwaran et al., 2008;
Price et al., 2010). These zones from the inner most part to the outer most part is called as; Corezone, Buffer zone and Transition zone (UNESCO, 2016a).The core area set aside to protect
large-scale ecological processes along with the complement of species and ecosystems
characteristics of the area. It contains minimum human activities, except research andmonitoring, aimed at protecting the landscape, ecosystems and species it contains. The
surrounding area acts as buffer for the core and accommodates more human activities such as
research, environmental education and training as well as tourism and recreational activities. An
outer transition area or area of cooperation extends outwards and serves as a liaison with thelarger region in which the biosphere reserves lies and promotes in particular the development
concern with activities such as applied research, traditional use or rehabilitation, humansettlements, agriculture, fisheries, etc. In buffer zone and transition zone of Dena, dry farms andirrigated farms cover more than 4400 ha of the total area. With considering the rule andregulation concerned grazing livestock is permitted in most of the transition area for a limited
period of time in a year. Hence zoning is a device of land use regulation. With respect to zones,in Dena the core zone comprises of two zones with the total surface areas of 35905 ha. The
core zone 1 includes 31066 ha and core zone 2 comprises of 4839 ha. The buffer zone contains
69689 ha and the transition zone 149943 ha, which on management system try to support eachother in the region.
MethodIn Dena attention is paid to cultural sensitivity, participation and benefits for local communities,
tailoring scientific research to resolve natural resource use problems, fostering dialogue amongst
different stakeholders, biodiversity education and awareness raising, conflict resolution withnomads and training of authorities also building up, local and national capacity for sustainable
land management and development. The functional capacity for promoting the sustainable
development of its eco-region is:• Providing a tool for wider bioregional and eco-regional conservation planning exercises;• Conserving the composition, structure, function and evolutionary potential of regional
biodiversity;• Contributing to regional conservation strategy;• Maintaining the diversity of landscape with associated species and ecosystems;• Delivering benefits to resident and local communities consistent with the other objectivesof management;• Delivering recreational benefits consistent with the other objectives of management;• Minimizing disturbances through careful planning and implementation of research; and,• Using adaptive management strategies to improve management effectiveness andgovernance quality over time
Results and Discussion
The logistic function in Dena is aimed to promote scientific research, which in some ways must
serve as "living laboratories" for testing out and demonstrating integrated ecosystemmanagement approach. Thus an efficient logistic function in Dena is central to the successful
implementation of "Biosphere Reserve Implementing Monitoring Program". Monitoring is about
the repeated measurement of a series of defined variables. Monitoring allows assessingchanges, where a baseline is available or designed to get established latter on. In this context,
undertaking research, carrying out observations and producing sound knowledge and data sets
are basic tasks of any integrated research and monitoring program. Core zone is the safe area
in protected area of Dena. Grazing and other exploitations are completely forbidden in this zone.
By considering to its virgin nature, this zone is in the framework of Biosphere Reserve goals. In
Dena the core zones are protected areas for conservation and monitoring activities. The main
objective of the core zones is to preserve ecosystem and species in a state as undisturbed byhuman activities (Dudley, 2008, 2013). Buffer zone is the continuous protected area to the corezone and it is the surrounding part of the core area which contains some scattered villages.
Limited exploitations, grazing, hunting and different kinds of recreational activities could be98

involved here. Buffer zone includes sufficient area immediately adjacent to the core area which
is of outstanding universal value in order to protect the site from direct human encroachment.
The buffer zone contains 69,689 ha in which, the constructed area is about 310 ha and the area
which excluded from governmental properties and considered as private land area is about
3,830 ha. The transition area has central function concerning socio-economic development. The
conservation, sustainable development and logistic support can be implemented in all zones butwith varying degrees, depending on the functional focus of each zone (Matar, 2015; UNESCO,
1996). With regards to the absence of any industrial and factory activities around Dena, the mostimportant local community impact to natural environment and biodiversity is through livestock
grazing and animal hunting or capturing. Environmental degradation in Dena is mainly causedby the lack of comprehensive and integrated management plan in:• Excessive population of free grazing livestock;• Over hunting and fishing activities;• Over exploitation of wood for rural construction and fuel by villagers;• Economic dependency of the village dwellers on medicinal, resins and nutritional plants
and fodders; and,• Unsustainable rain fed cultivation agriculture, land conversion and cultivation on highslope lands
Wise use of natural resources like; water, land, forest and rangeland is the main supporting
policy for environmental conservation in the long run. Fortunately in Dena, because of the richnatural resources and the low labor expenses for rehabilitation and restoration programs of thedegraded areas, recovery is quite possible. In Dena the transition zone comprises of 149,943
ha. So, the following activities are for achieving this goal in Dena:• Integrate social and economic research in the MAB program, due to the importance ofthe human element in ensuring the social and economic relevance of research inecosystem use and conservation;• Identify and select methodologies appropriate for overall integrated monitoring including
socio-economic facts as a key objective in Biosphere Reserve;• Evaluation of the flora and fauna is arranged in order to assess the quality of data andthe user friendliness and accessibility of its databases;• Identify ecological priorities, ecosystem processes and ecological modeling;• Verify critical threats and positive grass roots action;• Build partnerships for promoting compatible economic development; and,• Restore ecosystem through fundraising and campaign planning;
The major local community activities and businesses besides relying heavily on natural
resources are apiculture businesses and pastoral practices. With respect to the concept ofsustainable development, integrated ecosystem management approaches and land carrying
capacity, the areas management is developing and progressing. In the buffer zone of Dena, theactivities should make balance between the number of livestock and annual fodder production.
In this respect, the production capacity of the grazing lands should be calculated annually and ina specific time, the number of livestock and the duration of their exploitation should be informed
to the farmers. In the case of surplus livestock, the farmers can provide fodder from the legalorganizations, at current price, directly. This process should be organized properly to sustain
financial situation of farmers, otherwise we will face problem with their cooperation. The conceptof Biosphere Reserves Integrated Monitoring (BRIM) as a global platform for monitoring implies
the integration of GIS directly into the MAB net and BRIM database. The "data layers" will
geographically locate which Biosphere Reserves are carrying out which type of monitoring(abiotic, biodiversity, socio-economic and integrated monitoring) and combining it with variables
such as bio-geographic regions, land cover, indicators of sustainable development and othersocio-economic data. So in this way gaps in the monitoring network programs could then be
identified. There are series of management plans and policies, suggesting in Dena:99

1. A large unmodified protected area considered as core area for retaining its naturalcharacter without human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve
its natural condition.
2. Surrounding of the proposed core area consider as protected buffer zone, which
preserve core area from external pressure.
3. Transition or cooperation area for sustainable development.
Within the recommended framework status, natural features of Dena due to improvementof the area’s economy via ecotourism, educational and research activities could become moreconserved. To protect Dena’s genetic biodiversity, conservation activities have taken place toprevent the entrance of livestock into the buffer zone and also the intensive planting of endemic
shrubs in case of some micro destruction is under the program activity.
In Dena the following functional capacities for promoting the sustainable development of its ecoregion exist:• Conservation of biodiversity;• Promotion of ecological understanding; and,• Experimentation tools and demonstration objects for ecological sustainable
development.
These could be integrated through multi-disciplinary approach, focusing on the following
objectives:• Local community participation in decision making and conservation;• Ecosystem approach for integrated natural resources planning and management;• In-situ wildlife conservation and restoration;• Environmental education and training;• Ecologically sustainable development; and,• Developing ecological network system
Moreover, the following actions could confer great benefits to areas unity and solidarity:• Access improvement to information services;• Risk reduction from social capital;• Greater influence over policies and legislation;• Better management of common and shared resources through group actions;• Bioregional ecosystems support maintenance to local community; and,• Ability improvement for innovation
To promote conservation and equity in the area, intense capacity building programs shouldbe implemented on building negotiation and communication skills of the local people, so thatthey are able to represent themselves. In addition, participation of women and young individuals
in local activities should be encouraged by various methods. However to become more effective
the following actions must be taken in advance:• To establish an ongoing institutional system for biodiversity mainstreaming;• To develop a broad vision of conservation at national level;• To develop biodiversity strategies at local level;• To invest significantly in building and sustaining political commitment throughout theprocess;• To invest significantly in building commitment in line agencies including stakeholders,planning authorities and decentralized agencies;• To seek formal links with key development planning processes;• To integrate biodiversity objectives into existing national environmental management
tools;• To integrate biodiversity's livelihood and ecosystem functions locally;• To engage local communities and private sectors into management processes

100All future plans and programs for socio-economic activities, monitoring and evaluation
have already been set up. In this regard there are some constraints and challenges ahead.
These are:• Integrating economic, environmental and social equity issues into development
processes and implementation of a policy framework has continued to be one of thebiggest challenge in transition zone; and,• Adequate recognition and collaboration from local communities on environmental
education and awareness raising
Recommendation
The management policy is formulated based on the local community education, participation andinvolvement. However to achieve this, there are some recommendations:• People education program should be a long-term and continuous program. This should belasting till get institutionalized in the society;• The public education should help people to understand the necessity of conservation andmanagement of their environment and take maximum benefit of it. Promotion of living quality
should be a principle for action;• Looking back should confirm this point that, environmental conservation is not possible byforce; providing a good situation encourage people to consider conservation regulations
eagerly; and,• To save agricultural activities in traditional practices, it is advisable to receive national
supportConclusion
Broadly speaking a biosphere reserve is an area of terrestrial or coastal ecosystem organized inorder to fulfill 3 basic functions: to conserve landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic
variation; to foster economic and human development which is socio-culturally and ecologicallysustainable, and to provide support for research, monitoring, education and informationexchange related to local, national and global issues of conservation and development. Dena
include, legally protected core area for conservation, as well as protected buffer zone asmanaged use area and transition or cooperation zone, where sustainable forms of development
are taking place. They constitute therefore living laboratories to test and improve relations
between conservation and sustainable development, and to demonstrate that it can be mutually
reinforcing. They provide in particular innovative tools for the resolution of land and water use
conflicts through negotiation and consent by all legitimate stakeholders, and in the first place,the local communities. Generally speaking, the main problem in the management structure of
Biosphere Reserves is to find ways for involvement of all stakeholders and in particular local
communities who live in and around it, particularly in the transition area. The adaptation of the
IUCN "management matrix" could be useful in this respect. The area is government managed
protected area and the Department of Environment (DoE), as the government representative is
responsible for conserving this area. However, the area has a shared governance co-managed
protected area with a functioning local Biosphere Reserve Commission consisting ofrepresentatives of local people and stakeholders.
In this regard, national support to promote participatory management in Dena Biosphere
Reserve and enhance national processes that empower local communities' rights andresponsibilities to fully participate in the planning, implementation and decision-making
processes affecting resource management in their lands and territories is mandatory. From thetime the villages got protected, the villagers should feel the changes in their surrounding andrelations with nature. Briefly, quality of life and the environment wherever they live must improve.
Reconstruction of rural areas and building physical, mental, social and cultural infrastructures
would be counted as important driving force in management processes, which ultimately needssome certain planning and programming. Its positive impacts will be counted in a close future.
Organizing joint commissions with local communities and explain the DoE’s targets inconservation and sustainable use of resources will bring further strength to management
processes.
101

Acknowledgement
All scientific literatures released by IUCN, UNESCO, UNEP and other agencies that have beenused in this research article are highly appreciated.
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