Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is a species native to southern Europe and central and eastern Asia. This species plays an important role in urban land-scape design because of its rapid growth, resistance in harsh climates and tolerance to human-caused pressure. Understanding its potential dispersal and restricting param-eters are the first steps toward the sustainable use of this species. Here, we used Spe-cies Distribution Models to predict the potential distribution of Russian-olivein Iran climate and estimate the possible limiting factors for its spread. Our results highlighted the importance of environmental variables including climatic factors, soil, and lithol-ogy in the distribution of this species throughout the country. According to these results, suitable habitats for Russian-olive are located in the north of Iran along the Alborz and Koppeh-Dagh mountain ranges. Therefore, the suitable habitats for this species are limited to only nine percent of the country. A habitat suitability map can be used to evaluate future developments in urban areas and predict the dispersal range of Russian-olive in Iran. Our results show that Russian-olive can be used to create new green spaces in urban climates in the northern regions of Iran.

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