Oil leakage into the waters of Hormozgan Province has led to the destruction of 70 percent of its mangrove forest vegetation.
The Shahrvand daily reports that the decline in the density of mangrove tress in the region has become apparent in the last few years and recent studies show that over 70 percent of the vegetation has been destroyed.
The mangrove forests of Tiab have been a protected area for over 13 years. Oil pollution is not only killing the old mangrove trees, it is also preventing the growth of saplings.
Tiab Khor is the most important ecosystem in the mangrove forests of Hormozgan and it is also the winter habitat of numerous migrating water fowl.
The region is also under threat from logging and pollution from the city of Bandar Abbas as well as the region’s shrimp industry waste.