Application of Delphi Method for Prioritization of Mangrove Afforestation Site Selection Criteria (Case Study: Grey Mangroves on North part of Persian Gulf, Iran)

Mangrove forests are one of the highly productive ecosystems in the world but in recent years they have been threatened by human activities and natural events. In the other hands lack of the criteria for Exito-Conservation site selection decreases mangrove forest area in the world. The aim of this paper is prioritizing necessary criteria for identification of developmental zones for Avicennia marina as one of the true mangrove species with many economic and ecologic values in the world. Hence, at first according to our goals, 23 essaies from Iran and other countries were surveyed and conclusion of them were attended. Then tried to identify necessary criteria and assembled them in a new structure. On the whole, 3 criteria and 9 sub criteria were identified for selection of developmental sites. Afterwards based on the Delphi method, these criteria were screened out and the important scale and line model for using in GIS estimated. According to our conclusions by the order of importance: land physical traits, land chemical traits, tidal, waves, air temperature, water quality, climate and precipitation are sub criteria for selection of developmental sites.