Astragalus gossypinus is one of the important medicinal and industrial plants native to Isfahan province which the best kind of Katira is being extracted from it. In recent years its overexploitation for medicinal and industrial application as well as livestock overgrazing on natural ecosystems has led to surface soil destruction and its seedling stands deterioration. So that Astragalus gossypinus population has declined intensively in Isfahan province rangelands. One of the main and vital approaches of its rehabilitation of this species is to its plantation and proliferation in isolated rangelands and correct plantation site selection is one of the most important principles for success in range species plantation project. Ingoing investigation was conducted out in order to determination of Astragalus gossypinus potential habitat in Isfahan province rangelands. For this, Ecological Niche Factor Analysis and Analytic of Hierarchy Process methods whose applications in recent years were popular on desirable habitat modeling were applied. To do this, firstly 20 and 21 environmental factors were provided and developed for ENFA and AHP approaches respectively. By investigation of relationship between environmental factors and canopy cover and density characteristics of Astragalus gossypinus in AHP method, its main habitats indices at present habitats where they are remnant, were studied and determined. The most important indices data layers and environmental factors were prepared in GIS software and in terms of ordination analysis output were divided to appropriate and inappropriate sections based on habitat proportion by Boolean logic. In order to determine each of these layers importance, data knowledge and Eigen vector lengths were used in ordination diagrams. Eventually the potential habitat of this species was recognized by layers integration in AHP model frame and having re inter-ideograph; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" Keywords: Potential habitat, Astragalus gossypinus , Analytic hierarchy process (AHP), Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA), Geographical information system (GIS), Isfahan province.
