The role of natural factors in stability of rural settlements case study: Sabzevar county

Developm ent of human settlements, espec ially rural settlements has been largely dependenton ecological factors like suitable soil and water. sabzevar region, enjoying all of these facilities,has langley been a major human population center in eastern iran . the study results show that ,there is a significant relat ionship between ecological factors like situation, water and farminglands and pop ulation changes as an inde x of rural population stability in 1966-2006 , thecorrelat ion between vi llage situation and annual growth rate was 0.216. considering the studyresu lts, the followin g tasks are recommended to sustain the rural residency: effi cient utilizationof soil and water resources, supporting the rura l economy, mana gement of farmlands, decidingthe fann ing patterns, correction of water consumption meth od