Cultivation of Gray Mangroves Avicennia marina (Forssk) Vierh. in the Iraqi Coast

Jihad M. M. Al-Zewar

Authors

Al-Zewar et al., 2026 Marine Science Centre, University of Basrah

Keywords:

Iraqi Coast, Avicennia marina, Mangroves, Khor Al-Zubair oil port, Al-Faw Grand port.

Abstract

The ecosystems of the Iraqi marine coasts are notoriously poor in vegetation and highly vulnerable to coastal erosion. The current study aims at finding out the possibility of cultivating the Iraqi coasts with mangrove Avicennia marina. Two sites were chosen to conduct the experiment, the first in the Khor Al-Zubair oil port, and the second in the Al-Faw Grand port. The experiment was carried out by planting 50 seedlings in each site, in order to study the possibility of acclimatization of gray mangrove plants in these environments. Experimental measurements of vegetative growth indicators, total chlorophyll content, and survival rates were taken during the study period. The results demonstrated a normal growth of plants in the Khor Al-Zubair oil port site, as it recorded an average height of seedlings amounted to 93.8 cm during the study period at a daily rate of 0.256 cm.day^-1. total Chlorophyll content increased from 43.68-52.10 µg.cm^-2, while achieving survival rates of 78% at the end of the experiment. Compared to the site of the Al-Faw Grand port, it achieved medium vegetative growth during the first six months of the experiment, after that the plants began to deteriorate, and thus to the destruction of all seedlings after 12 months of the experiment's life. This failure is primarily attributed to high wave energy /extreme soil compaction /open sea exposure. These findings suggest that sheltered coastal environments like Khor Al-Zubair are viable candidates for mangrove restoration in Iraq, whereas open coastlines require prior artificial wave-breaker protection.

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