Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of biology,Marine Environment Research center,Chabahar Branch,Islamic Azad University,Chabahar,Iran
2
Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Science, Shahid Bahonar University, Kerman, Iran
3
Deputy of Marine Environment and Wetlands, Iranian Department of Environment, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Background and Objective: Lark Island, due to its diverse topography and the presence of hills, rocky shores, and other coastal types, has special environments that have led to the creation of diverse wildlife habitats. In addition, the rocky shores and the existence of diverse coastlines have provided very suitable conditions for the presence of a wide range of animals and plants. However, in recent years, various factors have caused the coastal habitats of this island to be threatened.
Materials and Methods: In this study, coastal areas covered by natural assets such as coral, mangrove, and seaweed, which can be the habitat and breeding ground for various plant and animal species, were considered as "habitats" and other areas changed by human intervention were considered as "non-habitats". In this study, the InVEST HRA (Habitat Risk Assessment) model was used to investigate the effects of human activities on coastal and marine ecosystems. In the present study, due to the importance of the user's role in determining stressors and habitats, all stressors were identified through field monitoring and based on expert opinion and knowledge of the study area.
Results: Evaluation of the HRA Invest model output graph results shows that human structures and irresponsible tourism are considered as the main stressors in the intertidal zone and the increase in water surface temperature, maritime transport, trawling, marine extraction, oil spills, desalination, fishing activities, traditional coastal fishing with varying degrees in the subtidal zone. The results related to the output of the Lark Island intertidal habitat cumulative risk map are shown in Figure 3 and the cumulative risk map in the subtidal zone is shown in Figure 4. The coastal (intertidal) area of Lark Island has the lowest cumulative habitat stress rating of 4 and the highest cumulative rating of 13 and the average cumulative stress rating of 8.5. In the marine (subtidal) area of Lark Island, the lowest cumulative habitat stress rating is 0 and the highest cumulative rating is 30 and the average cumulative stress rating is 15. The results show that the cumulative risk in the subtidal zone of Lark Island is high on the northern, northeastern, and eastern shores of the island. On this island, the major habitats of importance, along with high surface water temperatures in the warmest month of the year, are generally concentrated in the north and east of the island, which results in a significant difference in habitat risk ratings in the northern and western parts of the island compared to the eastern and southern parts.
Conclusion: The results show that the development and implementation of monitoring, protection or restoration and reconstruction programs in different coastal areas of Lark Island should be based on development plans and also be applied in proportion to the level of threats in different areas. The stress rating in the subtidal area on the northern, northeastern and eastern coasts around Lark Island is in the relatively high and high range, based on the average threat of the subtidal area, it can be interpreted that in the current situation, the stress rating and threats are high. Therefore, coral and algal habitats in this area are under high stress and threat, and an intensive intervention approach such as designating marine protected areas and preventing the entry of pollutants into this area should be considered.
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