Prioritizing the causes of desertification and its control strategies using the DPSIR. Case study: Ivanki, Semnan Province

The most important action in assessment of desertification status and control, is finding the relevant indicators and their significance. Therefore, in this study, the DPSIR approach with five components of Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impacts, and Responses, was applied in the study area. The results obtained from the 180 of questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS software and Prioritized by the Friedman test. In this study, 6 driving forces, 13 pressures, 3 situations, 9 effects, and 32 responses were identified. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the questionnaire completed by experts was 0.87. These results indicate that the questionnaire has satisfactory levels of validity and reliability. According to the results, the most significant response for controlling desertification was "Reviewing population growth policies in land use planning", while the least important indicator was "Desilting operations in dams". The most important driving force, according to experts, was "Population growth", and the least important was "Industrial development". The most significant and least significant pressures, according to experts, were "Improper land use change" and "Fires", respectively. Implementing various reactive and preventive responses based on these priorities plays a crucial role in enhancing the health of the ecosystem and preventing the spread of desertification in the region.