Abstract Key to the sustainable management of rangelands is identifying socioeconomic and ecological threats to the structure and function of historically grazed ecosystems. We studied how recent anthropogenic factors associated with globalization and urbanization could affect habitat quality and biodiversity as well as actors in a historically grazed rangeland basin in Iran. We used an approach that integrated field data, a spatially explicit ecosystem service model, and actor group opinions concerning threats to rangelands. We found low habitat quality in downstream areas where agriculture predominates. Significant relationships were also found between the Simpson diversity index and habitat quality; thus corroborating our modeling results. Actors and experts ranked grazing and agricultural activities as the greatest threats to habitat quality. Upstream areas with the highest habitat quality had the highest social value in terms of conservation efforts and ecosystem service provision. Modeling scenarios indicated that agriculture was the main threat to habitat quality, more so than grazing. Our approach shows that the historical legacy of past land use objectives that prioritized increased fodder must now be weighed against other current and future societal needs and management objectives such as food security and dust abatement.

中文翻译：

---

使用空间模型和行动者群体意见对伊朗半干旱牧场栖息地威胁的社会生态评估

摘要 牧场可持续管理的关键是确定对历史放牧生态系统结构和功能的社会经济和生态威胁。我们研究了与全球化和城市化相关的近期人为因素如何影响伊朗历史上放牧的牧场盆地的栖息地质量和生物多样性以及参与者。我们使用了一种方法，将现场数据、空间明确的生态系统服务模型以及行动者团体对牧场威胁的意见进行整合。我们发现下游地区以农业为主，栖息地质量低。在辛普森多样性指数和栖息地质量之间也发现了显着的关系；从而证实了我们的建模结果。演员和专家将放牧和农业活动列为栖息地质量的最大威胁。栖息地质量最高的上游地区在保护工作和生态系统服务提供方面具有最高的社会价值。建模情景表明，农业是栖息地质量的主要威胁，比放牧更为严重。我们的方法表明，过去优先考虑增加饲料的土地利用目标的历史遗产现在必须与其他当前和未来的社会需求和管理目标（例如粮食安全和减少灰尘）进行权衡。