A shoreline management plan for Iranian coastlines

Iran has close to 5000 km of shoreline bordering the Oman Sea and the Persian Gulf and more than 800 km of shoreline bordering the Caspian Sea. Iranian shorelines have been exposed to rapid development over the past three decades, resulting in an urgent need for a shoreline management program to optimize the use of coastal resources and prevent or minimize the impact of various projects. The present paper describes a national Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) recently developed for the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran to address existing coastal problems and set policies for sustainable development. The proposed SMP consists of two main components: Hazard Management, and Ecosystem-based Development Management. In this context, coastal hazard maps were prepared showing prone-to-hazard areas and required management strategies to address those hazards. Opportunities and threats along the entire Iranian coastlines were also identified so that they may be considered by managers in planning future developments within an ecosystem-based framework provided by the Environmental Management Plan.