A working group tasked with the restoration of Jazmourian Wetland will be formed to speed up the revival of the imperiled lagoon, according Massoumeh Ebtekar, the head of the Department of Environment.
“The current and future state of the wetland must become a national concern,” Ebtekar said on the sidelines of her trip to Kerman Province, IRNA reported.
“This can only be achieved if local, national and international organizations join forces.”
In addition to a warming Earth, excessive withdrawal of groundwater sources due to the presence of illegal wells around the wetland have accelerated the desiccation of Jazmourian.
Besides taking a toll on the livelihood of local communities that depend on the wetland, the drying up of Jazmourian has turned the lagoon into one of the 26 sources of dust storms in the province.
Nestled between the provinces of Kerman and Sistan-Baluchestan, Jazmourian Wetland is one of two major wetlands in southeastern Iran, the other being the Hamouns. These wetlands are grappling with complete desiccation as a result of climate change, dam construction and severe depletion of groundwater resources.
Ebtekar called on local communities to actively participate in environmental protection programs and said they are key to conserving environmental resources.
In its prime, the wetland hosted countless migratory birds and was home to numerous marine species.
