TEHRAN – Tehran will be host to an international webinar on wetlands protection and promoting environmental literacy, which will be held on August 16.

Domestic and foreign experts gather to attend the specialized webinar to discuss the role of wetland education centers in enhancing environmental literacy and the CEPA program (communication, education, participation, awareness).

The event will be attended by Chris Rostron, International Engagement Manager at Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, and Hossein Badripour, facilitator and director of a specialized network for resilience and sustainable land management.

In Iran, 141 wetlands with ecological value with an area of over 3 million hectares have been identified.

Wetlands are ecosystems saturated with water, either seasonally or permanently. They store water and ensure its quality, providing resilience against drought. They play a central role in sustainable development by supplying all our freshwater. More than 40 percent of freshwater fish are said to live in wetlands.

Wetlands play a major role in protecting the land against floods and the impacts of storms. They provide food and diverse habitats which support genetic, species, and ecosystem biodiversity. Wetlands play a key role in the life cycles of many species and in annual migration patterns.

Iran is rich in terms of having a variety of wetlands due to its climatic diversity. In Iran, 141 wetlands with ecological value with an area of over 3 million hectares have been identified, of which 25 wetlands are designated as wetlands of international importance (registered in the Ramsar Convention) covering more than 1.4 million hectares and four sites are biosphere reserves.

Of Iran’s 25 Ramsar sites about one-third are under pressure or in critical condition.

Unfortunately, wetlands are being degraded and lost due to pollution, overexploitation, climate change, and human population growth.

FB/MG