Selection of conservation areas with high biodiversity by Marxan software (Case study: Coastal area at the west of Hormozgan Province)

Subject Areas : environmental management

azadeh  vaziri nahad ¹ (Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Management, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.)
Seyed Ali  Jozi ² (Full Professor, Department of Environment, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran. *(Corresponding Author))
Rokhshad  Hejazi ³ (Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.)
Mohammad Reza  Shokri ⁴ (Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Marin Conservation, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. )
SAEED  MALMASI ⁵ (Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.)

Received: 2021-08-24 Accepted : 2021-10-27 Published : 2024-03-20

Keywords: Hormozgan Province, Pollutant resources, Conservation criteria, Biodiversity, Marxan software.,

Abstract :

Background and Objective: In order to preserve diversity of habitats and wildlife, it is inevitable to select the suitable conservation areas representing biodiversity. One of the ways to select conservation areas with high biodiversity is to use Marxan software. The aim of this study was to determine suitable conservation patches with high biodiversity by Marxan software and to identify conservation patches under the pressure of pollutant hotspots in the coastal area at the western part of Hormozgan Province. Material and Methodology: In order to identify the conservation areas with high biodiversity, simulated annealing algorithm of Marxan software was used in two scenarios and for this purpose, 36 protection criteria were examined. ArcGIS 10.3 software was also employed to determine the distributions of plant and animal species, as conservation criteria, pollutant hotspots and the existing protected areas. The conservation patches under the pressure of pollutant hotspots were identified by integrating the results of the selected scenario into the map of pollutant sources. Findings: Results of Marxan software which was done in 2020, revealed that the selected conservation areas and the existing areas protected by the Department of Environment were not compatible in terms of biodiversity conservation, nearly 801349 hectares was required to protect 50% of each conservation criterion (second scenario), and the pressure of industrial centers on the eastern and central parts of Kal-Mehran basin should be reduced. Discussion and Conclusion: Since the second scenario covered all the conservation criteria, except for one criterion, it was considered as the best scenario for achieving the conservation goals. Integration of the results from the second scenario into the map of pollutant resources indicated that the conservation patches at the eastern and central parts of the study area were under pressure. Therefore, it was recommended to expand the current protected areas towards the western parts of the study area.

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