TEHRAN –Iman Ebrahimi, the founder and CEO of AvayeBoom Bird conservation association, the first bird conservation NGO in central Iran, has won the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award for Young Wetland Champions.

The achievement was announced at the 64th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention, which was held from January 20 to 24, at Secretariat headquarters in Gland, Switzerland.

Ebrahimi is recognized for his efforts and contribution to preserving the birds in wetlands as well as raising public awareness about wetlands over a decade.

The official award ceremony will be held at the opening of the 15th meeting of the conference of the Contracting Parties (COP15) which is scheduled to take place in July, in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

The Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award for Young Wetland Champions was established to acknowledge and celebrate exemplary efforts of an individual or group of young people aged between 18 and 30 years for their contributions to the conservation, wise use, and restoration of wetlands. 

Wetlands play a critical role in maintaining biodiversity, providing clean water, and protecting against floods and droughts. The Ramsar Convention aims to highlight the importance of wetlands through this award program.

The award categories include the Merit Award, the Young Wetlands Champions Award, and the Innovation Award, all of which offer substantial recognition and financial support for ongoing or completed wetland conservation initiatives.

Over 40% of wetland area exposed to drying up

In December 2024, the head of the Department of Environment, Shina Ansari, said due to low precipitation and insufficient water right allocation, some 43 percent of the wetlands of the country are subject to dryness.

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

“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 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.

MT/MG