Restoring the ecosystems of Iran, the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz will take years and decades. Damage from military actions could escalate into an ecological and sanitary crisis, said Vadim Petrov, State Secretary of the Russian Ecological Chamber and Chairman of the Public Council of Roshydromet.
„The recovery time should be objectively assessed not in months, but in years and decades. According to modern standards for ecosystem restoration, the first visible positive effects can appear early, but the full recovery process often takes decades and requires long-term monitoring, adaptive management and, of course, an intergenerational horizon“, said Petrov.
According to him, this means in practice that it is first necessary to inventory and localize all sources of pollution resulting from the events in Iran, ensure the removal and sorting of hazardous waste, restore water supply and restore the functioning of damaged treatment facilities.
The next step is restoration of contaminated soils and waters, conducting reclamation, restoring vegetation and habitats, and ensuring sustainable financing and scientific and technical support. Without these resources, the degradation of ecosystems in Iran could become chronic, the expert stressed.
„For Iran, the coastal and marine areas of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, urban areas and water-scarce landscapes are the most vulnerable. Here, even localized oil spills, fires and the destruction of public infrastructure can quickly lead to long-term deterioration of ecosystem functions - deterioration of water quality, reduction of biodiversity, increase in toxic loads on soils and increase in dust and aerosol pollution. In other words, the damage from military events can easily transform into a combined ecological and sanitary crisis“, Petrov noted.
From a scientific point of view, he explains, the main environmental impact of such events is not only direct damage to ecosystems, but also the cascade of secondary pollution. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) notes that military operations in populated and industrial areas result in the formation of huge masses of contaminated construction debris, emissions of fuels, asbestos and industrial chemicals, while damage to factories, water supply and sewage systems leads to soil and water pollution. Such damage is not short-term: it continues after the end of military conflicts, undermining public health and local livelihoods. The World Health Organisation, for its part, further notes the risk of oil combustion products being deposited on soils and surface water bodies, which is associated with exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and toxic metals.