Dr. Hamzaei said in a conversation with Sobh Sahel: Ecological collapse is waiting for Hormuz
Samad Hamzaei, head of the Hormozgan Oceanographic Center
Will the registration of Hormuz Island as a UNESCO World Geopark have an impact on its fate?
Ecological collapse awaits Hormuz
Hormuz Island, the unique gem of the Persian Gulf with its colorful soils and unique ecosystem, is on the verge of an unprecedented environmental disaster, and the continuation of the current process without immediate intervention will cause this island to suffer a bitter fate in a short period of time. Ecological collapse in Hormuz Island means the collapse of the island's natural systems, which could occur in the next few years if the current trend continues. The critical situation of Hormuz Island can be examined from several aspects. First of all, the waste left by the ignorant and irresponsible tourists has faced a lot of garbage on the beaches of Hormuz, and after that, the indiscriminate harvesting of the colorful soil of this island by the tourists has become a serious problem. Statistics show that more than 300 Tons of these valuable soils will be removed from the island if this process continues, until the year 1410 approx 70 A percentage of the volume of the salt and ocher soils of Hormoz, including rare compounds of hematite, silica, alumina and titanium oxides, will be lost and will have irreparable consequences for the natural geopark of the island..
The island is surrounded by sewers
The sewage system of the island is in a miserable condition. Daily approx ۵ Tons of human sewage flows directly into the waters around the island without any treatment. This pollution, along with the excessive traffic of boats and ships, seriously threatens the life of coral reefs around the island. It is predicted that if this trend continues, until the year 1415 approx 90 A percentage of the remaining coral reefs around Hormuz Island will be destroyed, which in turn will lead to the local extinction of valuable species such as commercial fish, hawksbill turtles, and other endangered species..
Harman Hormuz Mangrove
The mangrove forests of Hormuz Island, these natural treasures are also under serious threat. Oil pollution caused by the traffic of light and heavy vessels, as well as the increase in sea water salinity due to climate change, seriously threaten this valuable ecosystem. Estimates say, if no immediate action is taken, by the year 1420 approx 80 A percentage of the remaining mangrove forests around the island will be lost.
Salinity of underground water sources
The issue of fresh water is also one of the other serious challenges of Hormuz. The island's few underground water sources are being destroyed due to over-harvesting and saltwater intrusion. It is expected to 1425 These sources should be completely salted.
Helping the island's ecosystem
According to the mentioned conditions, the immediate approval and implementation of the law to completely ban soil harvesting with heavy fines, setting up a mechanized garbage collection system, building modern sewage treatment plants, creating marine protected areas and setting up desalination systems with environmentally friendly methods are among these measures that can help the island's environmental sustainability. Some studies show that the number of tourists should not exceed a few hundred people per day in order to control the pressure on the environment and the resources and facilities of the island to respond to the presence of people. At some point, the officials of Hormozgan province, the number of approx 500 until 1000 One tourist per day has been proposed as the permissible limit, but this number also needs a more accurate evaluation. Based on the estimates, if the minimum is not implemented 80 The percentage of these actions up to the year 1405Hormuz will enter an irreversible phase and ecological collapse. This means that in case of entering the phase of ecological collapse, it is not possible to restore the lost ecosystem of Hormuz Island even by spending a lot of money. It should be kept in mind that the remaining time to save this unique island is very limited.
Hormuz UNESCO World Geopark
Recently, the plan to register this island as a UNESCO World Geopark has been proposed as a solution, the registration of Hormuz as a World Geopark can have significant benefits. This move could bring stronger legal protection to the island and bring it under international law. UNESCO can take action in case of violations such as soil harvesting or sea pollution. Also, this registration can help to attract responsible and scientific tourism and make it possible to access the financial resources of global conservation funds. However, registering a geopark alone is not enough. This plan requires strong legal support, the implementation of ecological restoration projects and sustainable management of tourism by the government and people, because UNESCO does not have a direct operational budget and cannot solve immediate problems such as the problem of waste disposal and sewage system or water shortage. For the success of this project, prerequisites such as: limiting the daily traffic of tourists, organizing waste collection, passing the law prohibiting soil harvesting, building a sewage treatment plant, and fully educating tourism leaders and the local community about environmental protection are among these requirements. Also, international cooperation, including the hiring of UNESCO consultants, is also necessary to design a sustainable management plan.
The government and the people are working to save the island
Registering Hormuz as a global geopark is actually like obtaining a certificate, which does not work miracles by itself, but the success of this project depends on three key factors: the government's commitment to the implementation of conservation laws, the active participation of local people, and the provision of sufficient funds for the island's restoration projects. If these conditions are not fulfilled, even with the registration of the Geopark, Hormoz will have no fate other than becoming a dead island in the Persian Gulf. Public institutions, the government and local people should set up the Hormuz Island rescue headquarters with dedicated funds and start the island's ecosystem restoration projects at the same time as following the registration of the geopark. Unfortunately, the situation in Hormuz has reached a critical point. Effective and urgent decisions today can determine the fate of this unique gem of the Persian Gulf. So it is better to take the necessary measures before it is too late.
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Sobh Sahel newspaper