Iran's Integrated Coastal Management plan: Persian Gulf, Oman Sea, and southern Caspian Sea coastlines
Iran, having two separate coastlines at its north and south of about 3000 km length, with very different characteristics, suffers from various coastal problems. While its northern coastal area is over-populated and its sensitive and unique habitats must be protected from destruction, most of its southern coastal areas are undeveloped and deserted. Intense oil and gas exploitation activities in the Caspian Sea region and occurrence of two wars in the Persian Gulf during the last two decades have rendered hydrocarbon pollution a major issue for this country's marine and coastal environment. Biodiversity is under threat in some areas and natural resources are deteriorating. To overcome the problems, Integrated Coastal Management has been considered by Iran's government as a long-term solution. In Iran's ICZM study project, baseline studies along with social, economical, and spatial planning studies in the coastal provinces are carried out in order to achieve the desired outcomes as a number of strategic plans for the coastal areas that are to be implemented by a coastal management entity. Providing the required laws and regulations for establishing such a management body is also under way. In this paper after reviewing Iran's coastal zone characteristics and problems, the long-term goals, strategies, and policies for sustainable management of Iran's coastal areas are outlined. Then, the ICZM study procedure and its prospected outcomes are explained, and importance of some of the findings of Iran's ICM is emphasized. Finally, some challenges including having two separate and different coastlines at the north and south of the country and their effects on the Iran's ICZM plan are discussed.