Desertification process in Urmia Basin has many harmful impacts on wellbeing of human populations. Recognizing the causes of land degradation and the process of land resources destruction need to examine socio- economic factors and policies responsible for the deterioration of the situation. This article aims to identify the fundamental causes of land degradation in Urmia basin and to recommend policies for good governance and sustainable management in using land resources. The method used in this article is based on the detailed data and responsible for information analysis and the research process is based on the Strategic Environmental Assessment method. Furthermore, by integrating DPSIR model with SEA, the causes and consequences of land degradation were recognized, and policies were recommended in hierarchical scales (Urmia basin, subbasin, ecological zone). The subbasin prioritization was done for policies with regard to ecological and social variables. According to this research, Urmia lake crisis is not solvable in a short time. To solve the problem, the focus should be on modifying attitudes, approaches and consequently human activities and behaviors of stakeholders. Accordingly, the most important proposed policies in order to good governance and sustainable management of land resource uses are as follow: (1) recognizing appropriate and inappropriate areas for human settlement especially based on sustainability of groundwater resources; (2) improving tax system and reducing the focus on oil revenues; (3) increasing the efficiency of agricultural inputs instead of subsidizing the price of them; (4) integrated water resource management in watersheds by focusing on conservation approach (aquifer management, correct water pricing, water recycling and water reusing) and allocation approach with an accurate accounting of surface and underground water supply; (5) reconsidering the physical development of water resources; (6) reconsidering the self-sufficiency attitude in agricultural production and improving the cultivation pattern; (7) limiting agricultural land use; (8) participative agricultural education; (9) transferring the surplus human resources working in agricultural fields to other sectors of the economy; (10) improving monitoring systems; and finally (11) inhabitation and water delivering to the ecological zone of Urmia lake
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