Growth of new plant species in Lake Urmia is a sign that the imperiled lake and the life it supports are adapting to the new environment. Masoud Baqerzadeh Karimi, deputy for wetland affairs at the Department of Environment, told reporters that directing fresh water from rivers in the region to the lake helped speed the adaptation process, IRNA reported. “The new vegetation can play an important role in fighting dust storms,” he said. Due to a variety of factors, Lake Urmia’s water levels have plummeted over five decades and the lake is on the brink of desiccation. Experts at the Urmia Lake Restoration Program, which was formed in 2013, have said that the ongoing concerted effort to revive the lake is a long-range program that would not produce results before 2023.
