Forest and pasture lands in highland of northern Iran are being extremely degraded and destructed because of extensive agricultural activities and tourism attractions, referring to a growth in the proportion of a population. These, therefore, land use changes are usually accompanied by reducing in concentrations of soil organic carbon and nutrients and also deterioration of soil structure in these lands. We reviewed more than fifty studies in which land use changes were evaluated with the objective of understanding carbon responses to various soil-management practices in northern Iran. These practices included inputs of industrial residues and urban sewage sludge, applications of agrochemicals, farming and urbanization. With studying these references; we confirmed the land use changes were needed to provide food due to population growth in northern Iran. However, the drawbacks of these practicing are further than their ‘benefits’. A large number of studies described decreasing in carbon pool due to extensive farming, overgrazed pastures, human activities as tourist and also application of agrochemicals and burning severely disturbed soil microbial communities. In conclusion, organic carbon related parameters were, indeed, useful indicators of soil quality in northern ecosystems. Further studies are required to develop better strategies to remedy population growth and manage these valuable heritages in northern Iran.