Over 40% of wetland area exposed to drying up: DOE chief

TEHRAN –Due to low precipitation and insufficient water right allocation, some 43 percent of the wetlands of the country are subject to dryness, the head of the Department of Environment has said.

“Wetlands need to be saved with the help of management measures and the participation of local communities,” IRIB quoted Shina Ansari as saying.

She made the remarks on the sidelines of the 22nd international environmental exhibition which is currently being held in Tehran.

“Over the past few decades, water rights have not been allocated to most of the wetlands, including Parishan, Shadegan, Hamoun, Jazmourian, and even Lake Urmia.  Hence, 43 percent of the area of these wetlands is more or less exposed to drying up.”

Underscoring the role of local communities in preserving the wetlands, Ansari said: “If we share local communities in the benefits of the wetlands, they will volunteer to conserve and restore the wetlands.”

The official went on to say that the DOE, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), is planning to initiate a project by implementing a local approach to enhance wetland conservation measures.

The DOE also seeks to promote alternative livelihoods around the wetlands, to expand sustainable agriculture by identifying optimal cultivation patterns in each area, and to reduce chemical inputs such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers, which in some way contaminate wetlands and threaten their biodiversity, Ansari further noted.

Wetland conservation project lowers irrigation water consumption

On December 10, Mehri Asna-Ashari, an official with the DOE, said the conservation project of Iranian wetlands has resulted in a 27.5 percent decrease in irrigation water consumption while increasing agricultural products by 22.5 percent.

“Currently, 49 wetlands, covering around 22 percent of the whole wetlands in the country, are being conserved in the form of native ecosystem management partnership,” IRNA quoted Asna-Ashari as saying 

She made the remarks at the meeting of the steering committee of the international project for the conservation of Iranian Wetlands.

Since 2021, the conservation project has been carried out in three wetlands including Shadegan in Khuzestan province, Bakhtegan in Fars province, and Urmia in West Azarbaijan province, the official noted.

Sustainable farming methods were implemented and 2,433 farmers were trained.  By February 2024, the results showed that average agricultural production increased by 22.5 percent, whereas irrigation water consumption reduced by 27.5 percent. In addition, the consumption of chemical fertilizers decreased by 25 to 30 percent. Consequently, the income of each farmer increased by 14 percent.

The establishment of 26 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and 181 livelihood support groups, and the implementation of alternative livelihood plans in 44 villages are some of the other achievements of the project, she added.

The official went on to say that “in 2024, the project was implemented with a budget of 678,000; we hope the project further yields positive outcomes with the allocation of the new budget. Of course, the financial contribution of the government was received with a little delay and insufficiently. 

To implement the project more successfully, the Ministries of Agriculture, Energy, Interior, Foreign Affairs, as well as Planning and Budget Organization, and the United Nations Development Program are required to cooperate with each other,” Asna-Ashari noted.

MT/MG