Introduction: In recent decades, human pressures resulting from economic growth, population increase, and the overexploitation of natural resources have posed serious challenges to the sustainability of the Earth’s ecosystems, leading to the emergence of the concept of the Anthropocene as a new geological epoch. Under these conditions, traditional environmental management approaches based on linear prediction and control have lost their effectiveness in addressing the complexity and uncertainty of social–ecological systems. Consequently, a shift toward paradigms such as resilience, adaptive governance, and complex systems management has become increasingly necessary. The planetary boundaries framework has been introduced as a key scientific approach for identifying global environmental limits, and its integration with resilience principles provides a useful tool for analyzing national policies and assessing their capacity to respond to accelerating risks. The aim of this study is to systematically evaluate Iran’s high-level environmental policy documents within the framework of planetary boundaries and resilience principles, and to examine their alignment with sustainable development and social–ecological resilience.
Materials and Methods: The research method was based on qualitative document analysis, and an ordinal scoring system employing a five-point Likert scale was utilized to assess the quality of the documents. Within this framework, a set of 25 evaluation items was designed across five dimensions—institutional, social, economic, environmental, and infrastructural—with each item scored on a scale from 0 to 5. The assessment questions were extracted by synthesizing the literature on Planetary Boundaries and the nine resilience principles of the Stockholm Resilience Centre to encompass key resilience dimensions, including exposure to accelerating risks, gradual adaptation, and institutional transformation. The validity of the instrument was confirmed through expert review, and its reliability was verified by calculating Cronbach's alpha (0.71). Ultimately, the document scoring was carried out by a panel of experts from the University of Tehran.
Results: social, institutional, infrastructural, and environmental dimensions, with a strong emphasis on institutional and environmental aspects, while economic and social dimensions receive less attention. For example, the national climate change report performs well in institutional, infrastructural, and environmental dimensions, but its strategic plan is weak in local participation. In the freshwater sector, more recent documents, such as the Groundwater Restoration and Balancing Plan, demonstrate strong participatory governance, whereas older legal documents focus mainly on legal frameworks. The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2016–2030) provides a more balanced performance, while national reports emphasize environmental conservation. Land-use change and biosphere integrity, addressed in the National Spatial Planning Document and the Seventh Five-Year Development Plan, perform strongly and evenly in institutional, environmental, and infrastructural dimensions. In contrast, boundaries related to novel entities and the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles perform poorly in economic, social, and technological innovation dimensions, with regulation-oriented approaches dominating.
Discussion: Development in some areas, weaknesses in institutional integration, limited monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and insufficient attention to social and economic justice have constrained their effectiveness. Enhancing national resilience requires the simultaneous consideration of economic, social, institutional, infrastructural, and environmental dimensions, along with integrated implementation and monitoring mechanisms. Empowering local communities, strengthening institutional and economic innovation, and recognizing cultural and social diversity can further enhance the country’s resilience capacity. Overall, this study shows that the transition toward resilient governance requires institutional reforms, strengthened socio-economic justice, and enhanced capacities for learning and innovation, thereby improving Iran’s path toward sustainable development and its ability to respond to environmental and climate crises.