Integrating conservation zoning, land-use and land-cover change, and habitat integrity to support protected area management: Evidence from Golestan National Park, Iran

• Integrated framework links spatial indicators, LULC change, and habitat integrity • Linear multi-criteria modeling delineates conservation and development zones • Habitat fragmentation metrics independently evaluate zoning performance • Spatially constrained zones balance strict protection and controlled development • Transferable decision-support framework for temperate protected areas worldwide Protected areas are central to biodiversity conservation, yet zoning schemes are often implemented without explicit integration of habitat fragmentation dynamics and empirical landscape change. This study develops an integrated zoning and habitat integrity framework for Golestan National Park (Iran) that links expert-driven spatial indicators, multi-criteria decision-making, and landscape-structure analysis to support adaptive protected area management. Zoning was conducted using a transparent linear indicator framework incorporating ecological sensitivity, vulnerability, development capacity, land-use characteristics, and management objectives. Habitat integrity was independently evaluated using land-use/land-cover (LULC) change (2014–2024) and class-level landscape metrics. Six functional zones (i.e., restricted nature, protection, extensive use, intensive use, special use, and buffer) were delineated with clear contrasts in conservation priority and development suitability. Strictly protected zones occupy 55% of the park, non-physical development and buffer zones 41%, and only 4% is allocated to controlled physical development. Concurrent LULC analysis revealed forest loss and built-up expansion, accompanied by increasing habitat fragmentation signals, including higher patch subdivision and edge complexity within core forest areas over the decade. The explicit integration of indicator-based zoning with quantitative fragmentation diagnostics moves the framework beyond static suitability mapping and provides managers with actionable spatial evidence for adaptive decision-making. It enables identification of structurally vulnerable core zones, targeted refinement of buffer interfaces, and strict confinement of new infrastructure to pre-designated development areas. The resulting approach offers a transferable and evidence-based template for temperate national parks seeking to align zoning decisions with measurable landscape change.