Agricultural Economics

Agricultural Economics

Assessment and Identification of Threats and Damages to the Mangrove Forest Ecosystem in Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Ahmad Fatahi Ardakani 1
یدالله Bostan 2
Fatemeh Sakhi 3
Mohammad Rezvani 4
1 Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Ardakan University, Ardakan, Iran
2 Ph.d Student, Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University
3 Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
4 Ph.d, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agricultural and Natural Resources, University of Tehran
10.22034/iaes.2024.2023160.2047
Abstract
The mangrove forest ecosystem located in the south of Iran has been neglected in the past decades and has been seriously damaged and a part of these special forests has been lost. While with the relative advantage that this divine gift has brought to the people of the south of the country, from a scientific and economic point of view, we can try to improve the welfare of the people of the south and also preserve this valuable ecosystem. Therefore, the upcoming study aims to identify the damages caused to the mangrove forest ecosystem in Iran. For this purpose, the issues and problems resulting from human activities in the mangrove forest ecosystem were prioritized using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results show that the sub-criteria of industrial sector development in coastal mangrove areas, drought, inefficiency of organizational structure and lack of inter-sectoral cooperation, unplanned or unplanned tourism and lack of employment, existence of poverty and dependence of people's livelihood on mangrove forests as the most important problems of mangrove forests in the provinces were Sistan and Baluchistan, Bushehr and Hormozgan. Also, based on the obtained results, the criteria of managerial-structural factors, industrial factors, and socioeconomic factors respectively have the highest weight among the main criteria. The development of industry in coastal mangrove areas was chosen by experts as the most important threat to mangroves. Therefore, if the development of the industrial sector is done without considering the cost and benefits of the environment and natural resources, it will bring adverse effects. As a result, the feasibility of building industries is suggested in the best way.
Keywords
Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)
Agricultural Factors
Industrial Factors
Managerial-Structural Factors
Socio-Economic Factors

Subjects

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