Spatio-temporal variations of habitat quality in the Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (Iran South Coast)

Spatio-temporal monitoring of biodiversity, as the foundation of ecosystem service provision, is essential in areas undergoing rapid and extensive changes. The spatial information provided is valuable for evaluating the impacts of projects or policies on biodiversity. It aids policymakers and planners in making informed decisions for future initiatives. The Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ), located on the northern coast of the Persian Gulf, is currently the world's largest special economic zone dedicated to the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. The Nayband National Marine Park, with rich biodiversity, is located in this zone. Since its establishment in ۱۹۹۸, the PSEEZ has experienced significant industrial investment in under a decade. This investment in the oil and gas industries caused many changes in land use and land cover. In this study, the biodiversity status of the PSEEZ was assessed before the establishment of this zone (۱۹۸۶-۱۹۹۸) and during its rapid development (۱۹۹۸-۲۰۱۸), over a total period of ۳۲ years. The InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) Habitat Quality model, integrated with multi-temporal Landsat and Sentinel-۲ imagery, was used to assess long-term changes in habitat quality. The results indicate that the habitat degradation trend after the establishment of the PSEEZ was ۱۸ times higher. This means that ۱.۱۶, ۳.۱۵, and ۲۷.۴۰% of habitats in the studied area were affected by the threats in ۱۹۸۶, ۱۹۹۸, and ۲۰۱۸, respectively. Habitat degradation is evident in the Nayband Marine National Park and requires greater attention to protect it.

کلیدواژه ها:

biodiversity ، Habitat quality ، remote sensing ، InVEST ، PSEEZ ، Iran