Zoning Desertification Potential Hazard Using MADM Approach and Shannon Entropy Model in Khezrabad Region, Yazd

Assessment and mapping of desertification potential has been considered as a planning tool in management of desert areas. Based on the importance of these maps, despite the development of techniques and quantitative methods in recent years, experts try to provide methods with fewer errors and more reliability. In this regards, studying desertification hazard zonation models revealed that in evaluation of indices, only the absolute value of each index in each work unit has been considered and their priorities in critical condition has been neglected, thereby leading to unrealistic results. Therefore this study aimed to present a model to classify desertification severity based on indices priority and the importance of each indicator in each work unit. In this regard, Shannon entropy model was used. This model, derived from information theory, evaluates potential risk of desertification by analytic hierarchy process in work units and finally presents the result as evaluation maps. The results showed that 0.43% and 8.92% of the study area faced severe and relatively severe desertification, while the greatest proportion of desertification belonged to medium (57.18%) and relatively medium (33.48%) class of desertification, respectively. However, quantitative value of desertification severity for the total area was 0.065, corresponding to medium class (V) of desertification.