Investigating the exposure of mangrove forests of the southern coast of Iran to multiple hazards

Classifying the severity of multiple environmental hazards at the level of mangrove habitats is one of the main prerequisites for assessing vulnerability and developing and planning management strategies to minimize the harmful effects of environmental hazards on these habitats. The aim of this study was to map and classify the intensity of occurrence of three types of environmental hazards, including drought, high-speed wind and seaward edge retreat in Nayband, Tiab and Gwadar mangrove habitats along the coasts of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. To this end, using the long-term time series of monthly rainfall values, daily wind speed and Landsat satellite images, maps of the severity of occurrence of each of the environmental hazards were prepared in each habitat using the functions available in ArcGIS software. Finally, the standardized hazard maps were combined and a map of the intensity of exposure to multiple environmental hazards was prepared throughout the mangroves. The results showed that the amount of exposure index at the level of the habitats varied from 2 to 4.6 and increases from the coasts of the Persian Gulf to the coasts of the Gulf of Oman; So, Nayband habitat on the western coast of Persian Gulf (coasts of Bushehr province) and Gwadar habitat on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Oman (coasts of Sistan and Baluchistan province) were subjected to the lowest and highest severity of environmental hazards, respectively. The results of this study have provided crucial information for assessing the vulnerability and resiliency of the studied mangrove habitats.