Identification of potential zones for marine aquaculture development using GIS in coastal regions of Sistan va Balouchestan

Aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry in developing countries. In Sistan and Balouchestan, the land area used for marine aquaculture increased rapidly in recent years due to a steadily rising demand. The purpose of this research was conducted to identify appropriate sites for shrimp farming development in coastal of the Sistan va Balouchestan province using geographical information systems (GIS) based on creating a database of information layers of effective criteria and alternative. Data layers (Digital elevation model, slope, land use, soil thickness, distance to sea, soil type, soil pH, soil texture, distance to hatchery sites, distance to roads and distance to local markets) were gathered. The weight of criteria and alternatives were determined using an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in EC2000 software. For modelling, spatial analysis and integration layers ArcGIS setting were used and the zoning map was obtained. By consolidation and overlaying data layers, the final map was drawn in order to classify the aquaculture development in the area in four various zones (highly suitable, suitable, moderately suitable, not suitable). The study revealed 1718 ha (1.2%) is the highly suitable, 12547 ha (9.4%) is suitable, 103164 ha (76.8%) is moderately suitable and 17059 ha (12.6%) is not suitable. This study shows that GIS databases of different formats and sources can be used effectively to establish spatial models in land evaluation for aquaculture. The land evaluation model developed in this study is useful to identify suitable areas for aquaculture in terms of efficient generation, effective conservation, and sustainable land management.