INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
showed 367 flamingos were nesting, laying eggs, and raising chicks in five colonies, IRNA reported.Hour al-Azim wetland is an important
wetland on the border of Iran and Iraq
Unique species such as cormorants, margerdans, giant herons, African egrets, marble ducks, white-headed ducks, long-tailed ducks, and many
other types of water and waterside birds live there.In Iran, 141 wetlands with ecological value with an area of over 3 million hectares have
been identified, of which 25 wetlands are designated as wetlands of international importance (registered in the Ramsar Convention) covering
more than 1.4 million hectares and four sites are biosphere reserves.The Department of Environment determined water rights for 11 wetlands
out of 25 wetlands that are registered in the Ramsar Convention, but the conditions of the wetlands show that the water rights have not been
fully met.The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of
wetlands and their resources.It was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.Due to insufficient rainfall
and recent droughts, as well as non-implementation of some of the programs of the Department of Environment to protect wetlands, now about
two million hectares out of the three million hectares area of the country's wetlands are dry and turned into sand and dust spots.An
official with the Department of Environment has said comprehensive management plans have been prepared for 44 wetlands in the country.The
unique characteristics of wetlands, including groundwater control, climate change adaptation, the livelihood of local communities through
fishing, livestock grazing and agriculture, natural water purification, purification and absorption of pollutants, and nature tourism have
made sustainable management and protection of wetlands essential for humans, ISNA quoted Jaleh Amini as saying.Environmental management
based on a comprehensive approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water, and livelihood resources that promotes
conservation and sustainable use in a balanced manner.This approach is the primary framework for action under the Convention on Biological
