TEHRAN – Environmentally concerned university students should join hands to find solutions for reviving Anzali wetland in northern Iran, Mehdi Kazemi Khaledi, director for the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research has said.

Covering more than 19,000 hectares, the wetland is located near the northern port city of Bandar Anzali, neighboring the Caspian Sea. The wetland was designated as a Ramsar site on June 23, 1975. It is fed by several rivers and separated from the Caspian Sea by a dune system. The lagoon is home to submerged and floating vegetation and also extensive reed beds. It bears international importance in terms of breeding, staging and wintering water birds.

Emphasizing the role of students in cultural and social issues, he noted that the Academic Center can take high-level, effective steps alongside the Department of Environment in pursuit of education and research for environmental protection development.

“Environmentally-conscious students are active in environmental fields related to their region, especially in provinces of Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, Zanjan and Qom, while there are fewer environmentalist students in northern provinces of the country,” he explained.

In recent years, many projects have not been implemented due to a variety of reasons, but the projects must still be considered, he stated, highlighting, so, university students must pursue the issues and elicit public participation.

FB/MG