Plant, Algae, and Environment

Plant, Algae, and Environment

Building a Framework for Resilience Assessment and Monitoring: Integrating Human-Environment Interactions to Protect Anzali Wetland's Aquatic Ecosystems

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
‏shaghayegh ‏Alizadeh 1
Leila Mosleh 2
1 Department of Innovation and Technology Governance, Faculty of Governance, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 School of Urban Planning, University of Tehran, Iran
10.48308/pae.2026.244306.1143
Abstract
Urban wetlands are critical socio-ecological systems that provide essential ecosystem services while facing increasing anthropogenic and environmental pressures. This study aims to develop a site-specific framework for assessing and monitoring the resilience of Anzali Wetland, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in northern Iran, by integrating ecological and social dimensions of resilience. A three-round Delphi process was conducted with 10 experts selected for their relevant expertise and direct experience with Anzali Wetland. Expert assessments were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance to examine the convergence of judgments across Delphi rounds. The results identified seven resilience factors spanning ecological and social dimensions. The overall resilience of the wetland was assessed at 2.7 on a five-point scale, with 50% of experts rating its resilience as weak or very weak. Water quality (mean = 4.9), biodiversity (mean = 4.7), and hydrological regime (mean = 4.6) were the three highest-priority factors, while human pressure was the highest-ranked social factor (mean = 4.3). Expert agreement increased across the Delphi rounds, with Kendall’s W rising from 0.62 in Round 1 to 0.75 in Round 2 and 0.82 in Round 3 (p = 0.001). The prioritized factors were translated into an operational monitoring framework linking major threats with measurable indicators. These indicators included BOD, COD, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations for water pollution; annual sedimentation rate for hydrological and sediment-related pressures; and the abundance of indicator species for biodiversity changes. By linking expert-based prioritization of ecological and social resilience factors with measurable monitoring indicators, the framework provides a site-specific basis for repeated resilience assessment and adaptive management of Anzali Wetland. Its contribution lies in translating an integrated socio-ecological resilience assessment into an operational monitoring structure that can support evidence-based evaluation of management responses over time.
Keywords
Socio-ecological resilience, Anzali Wetland, Resilience assessment, Delphi method
Monitoring indicators, Adaptive management
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Plant, Algae, and Environment
Volume 10, Issue 3
DOi
2026
Pages 76-96