Aim: This study aimed to (1) identify the main criteria and sub-criteria influencing the ecological resilience of plant species used in green spaces of arid and hot regions, and (2) prioritize their importance in selecting resilient planting patterns composed of common ground cover and seasonal plants suitable for the development of sustainable urban green spaces in Zahedan.
Material & Method: The research followed a descriptive–analytical and applied approach. In the first stage, criteria and sub-criteria affecting plant ecological resilience were identified through documentary and library studies. Then, using expert opinions from specialists in urban green space and horticulture, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to determine the relative weight of 5 criteria and 21 sub-criteria. Finally, the TOPSIS model was used to rank existing and potential of 45 ground cover and seasonal plant species based on their ecological resilience levels according to expert evaluations.
Finding: The findings revealed that adaptability to irrigation water conditions (0.365), Soil of the area (0.276), climate (0.179), ecological conditions (0.118), and urban pollution (0.062) are the most influential factors in determining plant resilience in Zahedan’s green spaces. Among the sub-criteria, plant resistance to water shortage, soil salinity, evapotranspiration stress, and exposure to pollutants were identified as key determinants of ecological resilience.
Conclusion: Based on the ranking results, Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum, Frankenia thymifolia, Cortaderia selloana, and Rosmarinus officinalis, with closeness coefficients of 1, 0.77, 0.69, and 0.63 respectively, were identified as the most resilient groundcover plants. Also Canna indica, Gazania rigens, Helianthus debilis, and Gaillardia with closeness coefficients of 0.82, 0.80, 0.77, and 0.75, were found the highest resilience seasonal flowers in Zahedan’s green spaces.
Innovation: The main innovation of the study is the development of a method to assist urban green space experts in hot and arid regions in selecting resilient plant species