Analysis of sustainability trend in restoration and development of mangroves in Hormozgan coastal line

The assessment of the sustainability in restoration of mangroves offers an opportunity for sound management as well as for prioritizing the required steps in restoration plans. We studied the sustainability of an afforestation projects in 31 selected zones across the coastal line in Hormozgan province by means of sustainability indices. To this aim, the extent and survival of forest resources were mentioned. Moreover, forest area, density, average height growth, average regeneration, stability of stands and their alteration trend were considered as sustainability indicators. Satellite imagery and randomly-drawn samples were used to derive the indices. The results showed a 68% rate of forest decline across the coastal line. In addition, the afforestation in Qeshm island showed the highest average forest density (1057 trees per ha), whereas Bandar Khamir showed the lowest rate (320 trees per ha). The highest and lowest rates of forest loss were observed in Jask (79.5%) and Qeshm (51.5 %), respectively. Survey on sustainability of afforested mangroves indicated that 48% of afforestation area are highly unstable, followed by 36% of the area being classified as unstable. The condition in Qeshm is therefore better compared to the other sites. Within this site, Eskeleh Hamoon zone showed the highest rate of stability.