Analysis of the Impact of Small Breakwaters in Qeshm Island on Local Communities

In order to eliminate deprivation in the southern coastal areas of the country, the construction of small public breakwaters began in 2010. In Qeshm county, which is considered to be the largest island in the Persian Gulf, six breakwaters of Shahid Zakeri, Rigoo, Sooza, Masan, Shibderaz and Kandallo have been constructed as part of this national project. Considering that one of the main goals of the construction of breakwaters has been to eliminate deprivation and improve the social status of coastal residents, in this study, the socio-economic effects of the construction of breakwaters in Qeshm Island have been studied. In this regard, first, indicators related to the construction of breakwaters were extracted in four aspects: "socioeconomic", "physical", "environmental" and "institutional". In the next step, using the cross-impact analysis and MICMAC software, the influenced indicators from the breakwaters were determined. These indicators included "migration", "job creation", "safety and security", "stakeholder satisfaction", "dependency on breakwater" and "investment security" all related to the socioeconomic aspect. In the final stage, information related to the mentioned indicators were collected through site visits, interviews with stakeholders and local residents, as well as general population and housing census data and statistical yearbooks of Hormozgan province. Data processing has been done using the analysis of covariance and content analysis. According to the results, Shahid Zakeri breakwater has a positive effect on all indicators. Shibderaz and Kandallo breakwaters, despite having a positive effect on all studied indicators, have not played a significant role in attracting immigrants to the region. The Sooza, Rigoo, and Masan breakwaters have improved safety, security, and stakeholder satisfaction, but have failed in job creation and migrants attraction.