The threates on the biodiversity of Bisotun Wildlife Refuge and Bisotun Protected Area (BPA & BWR) in the west region of Iran

Reyahi-Khoram M, Rizvandy M, Reyahi-Khoram R. 2014. The threates on the biodiversity of Bisotun Wildlife Refuge and Bisotun Protected Area (BPA & BWR) in the west region of Iran. Biodiversitas 15: 65-72. Nature is necessary for the preservation of species and biodiversity richness; as a result, it has been protected for thousands of years. Bisotun Protected Area and Bisotun Wildlife Refuge (BPA & BWR) with about 95000 hectares is located in Kermanshah province in the west of Iran. The object of this study is to determine the physical properties and analyze the constraints that threaten the BPA & BWR. This research was conducted during the period from May, 2011 to November, 2012 in BPA & BWR. In this research, various animal and plant species were recognized through documentary analysis and also directs field observations. The obtained result indicates that major threates have occurred in biodiversity and ecosystem of BPA & BWR during 1980-2010. During these years, the study area has completely failed and lost some of its biological diversity. Limiting factors that affect wildlife population growth including destruction and conversion of habitats, unauthorized hunting and high frequency presence of animal and human, have influenced the restoration potential of wildlife, the habitats and other conservation areas

Review of Hosein Aabad Sugar Factory (HASF) Wastewater and Assessment of its Pollution Load

Sugar industry is one of the largest industries in the world. Hosein Abad sugar factory (HASF) is located in Hamadan province of Iran. The aim of this research was to evaluate the quality and quantity of wastewater of the said factory and to estimate the pollution load and its emission factor as prerequisite of the management and environmental pollutions control in the region. Random grab sampling is used in twelve days between October 2010 and March 2011 during peak hours of activity. In this research, nine quality parameters as the key variables are measured to evaluate the quality of wastewater. The obtained results indicate that, the amount of wastewater produced by HASF is about 2740 m3/day. Based on the said results, the average amount of five days Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in the raw wastewater was 1296 and 2328 mg/l respectively. The results of this research showed that the effluent wastewater of HASF in the present conditions is highly polluted due to inappropriate treating and is not appropriate for artificial recharge use, discharge in rivers and lakes or utilization in agriculture, according to the DoE standards

Plants and animals diversity in Buqaty Mountain Area (BMA) in Hamadan Province, Iran

Buqaty Mountain Area (BMA) is regarded as one of the genetic reserves of Hamadan province in Iran. BMA is highly important regarding variety of plant and animal species, but limited research work has been performed in this area in the field of biodiversity. Identifying the unique ecologic talents and capabilities and aesthetics of BMA is the most important objective of this study. This research was conducted during 2010 through 2011 in BMA to identify various plant and animal species through documentary and also direct field observations. With direct referring to the various regions of the studied area, plant samples were collected from different slope position and transported to field laboratory units. Sampling was made for every 20 meters increase in the height of area. Animal species of the area were identified too. Based on the results, about 44 valuable plant species, 45 species of birds as well as 7 species of mammals have been identified in BMA. It is recommended that the area be declared an A prohibited hunting area by Department of Environment (DoE) of Iran for the conservation of flora and fauna in the study area

Assessment of biodiversities and spatial structure of Zarivar Wetland in Kurdistan Province, Iran

Reyahi-Khoram M, Hoshmand K. 2012. Assessment of biodiversities and spatial structure of Zarivar Wetland in Kurdistan Province, Iran. Biodiversitas 13: 130-134. Wetlands are valuable ecosystems that occupy about 6% of the world’s land surface. Iran has over 250 wetlands measuring about 2.5 million hectares. Zarivar wetland (ZW) is the only natural aquatic ecosystem in Kurdistan province in Iran. The present research was carried out during 2009 through 2010 with the aim of recognizing the capabilities and limitations of ZW through documentary, extensive field visits and also direct field observations during the years of study. Geographic Information System (GIS) has been used to evaluate the land as a main tool. The results of this research showed that ZW has a great talent regarding diversity of bird species and the ecological status of wetland has caused the said wetland welcome numerous species of birds. The results of this research showed that industrial pollutions are not considered as threats to the wetland but evacuation of agricultural runoff and development of Marivan city toward the wetland and the resulting pollution load could be introduced as an important part of the wetland threats. It is recommended to make necessary studies in the field of various physical and biological parameters of the wetland, and also the facing threats and opportunities

Biodiversities and limiting factors of Lashgardar Protected Area (LPA), Hamadan Province, Iran

Reyahi-Khoram M, Norisharikabad V (2011) Biodiversities and limiting factors of Lashgardar Protected Area (LPA), Hamadan Province, Iran. Biodiversitas 12: 216-221. Lashgardar Protected Area (LPA) located in Hamadan Province in Iran, it is a mountainous and plain area and proximal to Malayer Township. In 1991, the region was known as a protected area for increasing wild animals' population. This research has been conducted during 2001 through 2009. Plant and animal species of the region were identified and statistics of the population of animal flagship species were gathered. In this research, valid academic resources were used for identification of animal and plant species. Geographic Information System (GIS) has been used to evaluate the land as main tool. The software used was Arc View (version 3.2a) scale was 1/50,000. Due to cold mountainous climate, the region is covered by a wide diversity of trees, shrubs, grasses and herbs. There were 18 species of mammals as well as 75 bird species in LPA. Most abundant mammalian population belongs to wild sheep (558 animals) and the second abundance was related to wild goat (515 animals). Also, the most abundant bird species belong to ortolans. Result of the present study showed that construction of connection roads in vicinity the region, establishment of factories inside and around the region, military garrison, unauthorized grazing, unlawful hunting, and Ahangaran mine and rail road have all exposed put LPA to serious threat and danger

Kinetic study of heavy metal ions removal from aqueous solutions using activated pumice stone

Background: The presence of heavy metals in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems causes harmful effects to living organisms in the environment. This research aimed to determine the potential of activated pumice stone (APS) as a sorbent for the removal of Cd, Cu, and Zn from wastewater. Methods: This research was conducted during 2013 on a laboratory scale. The study was performed using batch experiments with synthetic wastewater having Cd, Cu, and Zn concentrations of 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/L. Various isotherm models, including Langmuir and Freundlich, were used to evaluate the sorption data. The influence of contact time and amount of sorbent on the removal of Cd, Cu, and Zn from wastewater was studied. All experiments were done at pH = 7 and at room temperature (20 ± 1°C). The solution pH was adjusted using 1N NaOH or 1N HCl solutions, and the pH value was determined by a pH meter. Results: The results showed that the adsorption of Cd, Cu, and Zn approaches equilibrium after about 2 hours, while the rates of removal efficiency for Cd, Cu, and Zn at equilibrium were 91.6%, 91.8%, and 82.9%, respectively. Kinetic studies showed that the sorption of Cd, Cu, and Zn onto APS were fitted to the pseudo-second order kinetic models. Conclusion: The results indicate that the APS is a good choice, because it is a low-cost and effective sorbent. The sorption capacity of APS as a sorbent was considerably affected by the initial concentration of metal ions in the solution and by contact time