Department of Environment, UNDP present solutions for Iranˈs drying wetlands

Tehran, May 6, IRNA -- Iran’s Department of Environment (DoE) and United Nations Development Programme jointly presented an expert Report Monday containing solutions for Iran’s drying wetlands. While these solutions focus on Lake Urmia and the Hamoun wetlands, they also offer recommendations for how Iran should manage its wetlands – and associated basin water resources – in the coming decades, which climate science predicts will be hotter and drier for much of the Middle East, including Iran. The findings of the Report summarize the expert debates conducted at an international technical wetlands roundtable, convened by DoE and UNDP in Tehran in March 2014. The report analyzes the causes of the drying of these two specific wetlands and the actions needed to address them. The Report also covers international best practices for the restoration of drying wetlands. Taking into account the known policy, logistical, institutional and budgetary limitations, the Report recommends series of steps to the Government, which can be shaped for quick implementation. General: At a general level, the Report explains the need to implement a national awareness campaign and programme to conserve water. There are recommendations to reform the management of agriculture in Iran (which consumes 90% of water use) in order to conserve water. In addition, the report recommends the building of capacity for ecosystem-based management and the wise use of wetlands. Over the longer term (i.e., beyond the short-term 2-year period in which immediate action is required), the Report calls for the introduction of water pricing, as well as the review of both land and water use planning, water resource management, and the national dam construction programme. It also calls for the Government of Iran and its neighbors to pursue international best practice approaches to managing their trans-boundary basins and wetlands. Lake Urmia: Specifically, on Lake Urmia, the Report calls for an update of the Integrated Management Plan and the establishment of a Lake Urmia Sustainability Fund, as well as a reduction in the water from the Urmia basin diverted to agricultural use. It calls for a public campaign to conserve water and the ecological restoration of (part of) the lake – a process known as “embayments” with minimum construction and that these be subjected to results of environmental assessments. Worried about the impact of the drifting salt/dust storms from the dried-out lake bed, it calls for the implementation of health-protection measures. It also calls for the development of a monitoring system on the condition of the basin and the lake to track progress in its recovery. Hamoun Wetlands: Regarding action to be taken in within the next 2 years on the Hamouns, the report first of all calls for better gathering and sharing of information on the extent of the problem. There is a need, the Report claims, to clarify, simplify and rationalize Hamoun institutional management arrangements. Decisions are required, the Report insists, to share water in a way that will maintain essential ecosystem services and support populations and settlements in the area. There is a need to focus, the Report indicates, on the in-country (within Iran) waters more efficiently, and for their management when considering environmental requirements and the functions of the Hamouns ecosystem. As in the case of Lake Urmia, the Report calls for greater public awareness and education on the problem as well as the need to improve trans-boundary cooperation with Afghanistan which is the source of all the water entering the Hamouns. Backgrounder: In March of this year, and at the request of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the UNDP Iran Country Office invited a number of eminent international and national experts to share their experiences and solutions to help formulate a set of specific practical recommendations for these two drying wetlands in Iran. These solutions were presented today. Across the arid and semi-arid areas of Iran, and West and Central Asia, there is unsustainable demand for water (particularly for agriculture). Combined with the impact of climate change, the manner in which this demand is being managed is already causing environmental stress in Iran. The fate of the Aral Sea is well-documented, and similar crises now affect wetlands across the region, including in Iran. Two wetland systems are of greatest current concern: Lake Urmia in West and East Azerbaijan and the Hamoun wetlands in Sistan-Baluchestan province. These precious sites have already lost their ecosystem functioning with catastrophic implications for biodiversity, economic and social wellbeing, and their restoration is proving to be extremely challenging. end