Kanibarazan Wetland, a top bird-watching spot in Mahabad County, West Azarbaijan Province, is fighting a battle against contamination, a senior official at the Department of Environment warned.
According to Farouq Sokhanvar, head of the provincial DOE, the wetland, which has been a popular bird-watching site for domestic and foreign tourists due to attracting flocks of aquatic birds, is being threatened by human-caused pollution.
“Agrochemicals [including phosphate and nitrate] and wastewater run-off pouring from the surrounding villages into the wetland is putting pressure on the ecological balance and biodiversity of the waterbed,” ISNA quoted the official as saying.
He added that this can be a potential risk to the local ecotourism and consequently the economy.
A number of measures have been taken to reduce the contamination of the wetland, including the construction of several man-made lagoons where water is treated and pumped back to the wetland.
“Creating a couple of small lagoons has so far done good to the wetland’s water quality,” Sokhanvar said.
He, however, stressed that raising public awareness to avoid excessive use of chemical pesticides in agriculture in upstream areas is still required to ensure the preservation of the wetland.
Ecological Importance
Home to over 6000 birds of over 180 species, including a number of important kinds such as the endangered White-headed Duck, Kanibarazan Wetland is one of important sites in the ecological zone of Urmia Lake.
Covering 927 hectares of area, the wetland was billed by National Ecotourism Committee as the country’s first bird-watching site in 2007, since a wide range of water birds can be found in the area.
Marbled duck, crested duck, greyleg goose, northern shoveler, common pochard, northern pintail, northern lapwing and heron are among the birds living in and around the wetland.
It is surrounded by seasonal wetlands, which dry up during summer and autumn. The wetland was initially a seasonal wetland, originally fed by water from surrounding springs and run-off from agricultural land.
Drainage canals now supply water to the site throughout the year, making it a permanent wetland.
