TEHRAN – Iran is seeking to register Aq-Qeshlaq wetland in the northeastern North Khorasan province on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat, the provincial department of environment chief has said.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat, also known as the Convention on Wetlands, is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the Convention was signed in 1971.

The List of Wetlands of International Importance included 2,331 Ramsar Sites in May 2018 covering over 2.1 million square kilometers.

“Despite the area is facing water scarcity, the wetland and its surroundings are filled with water,” ISNA quoted Eskandar Gordmardi as saying on Tuesday.

The main purpose of applying for the list of sites on the Convention on Wetlands is to protect the wetland and prevent it from drying, he added.

If the wetland does not receive the necessary care, the area will become a hotspot generating sand and dust storm, which will threaten the city of Bojnord and its surrounding villages, he lamented, adding, so we tried to register the wetland on the Convention in order to conserve it.

Referring to the most important plant species in the wetland, he noted that due to the Tamarix (salt cedar) trees growing around the wetland, it requires a special protection.

The wetland is mostly home to aquatic birds and birds inhabiting marine environments, he concluded. 

FB/MQ/MG