TEHRAN – The receding water of the Caspian Sea has imperiled the coastal wetlands around the enclosed water body, and provided the ground for taking over the dried-up lands for change of use, so its protection requires comprehensive coastal management.

One of the important issues in maintaining the dynamics of the largest lake in the world is the coastal wetlands affected by it, which are affected by the fluctuations of the Caspian water level, especially the wetlands in the southern part, such as Gomishan, Miankaleh, and Gorgan Bay.

Another point is that the coastal wetlands of Gilan province are also affected by the Caspian Sea, which plays a significant role in their health and stability. These wetlands are fed by both fresh and salty water sources of the Sea, such as the Anzali Wetland.

Hosting 400 aquatic species and holding third place in terms of oil and gas reserves under its bed after the “Persian Gulf” and “Siberia” has doubled the value of the Caspian Sea. Also, other wetlands are located in the eastern and northwestern part of the Caspian Sea, such as the Qarebaghaz wetland, with an area of 40,000 square kilometers, and has progressed towards complete aridification, and if the level of the Caspian Sea reaches minus 29, unfortunately, Qarebaghaz and Astrakhan Wetlands will face depletion.

Homayoun Khoshravan, a member of the board of directors of the Iranian Coastal and Marine Structural Engineering Association (ICOMSEA), told IRNA on Sunday that in order to preserve the Caspian Sea and its wetlands, a comprehensive coastal management plan is needed, which unfortunately does not exist in the country.

“In the comprehensive management of coastal areas of the Caspian Sea, there are 3 components, the first is the users or beneficiaries who live within the coastal areas, and their type of actions and reactions on the management process, the second is the organizations that are supposed to carry out a series of responsibilities to manage the coastal areas regarding the beneficiaries.

Third, the supervisors or the organizations that are controlling the performance of the first component (coastal users) and the responsible organizations.

The biggest challenge of today is the reduction of the water level of the Caspian Sea. Since 1995, the water level of the Caspian Sea has decreased by nearly 1.6 meters, and the pace of this decrease is very worrisome.

The rapid drying of coastal wetlands will cause the loss of dynamic ecosystems and the reduction of biodiversity and clear encroachment on coastal areas, which is one of our major concerns in the current situation,” he explained.

But the most important point in the management of Caspian Sea coastlines is the protection of sedimentary resources such as salt marshes, brackish marshes, peatlands, wetlands, and habitats, which are at risk due to the decrease in the water level of the Caspian Sea and human encroachment, he lamented.

When the Caspian Sea shrinks, the sediment balance in the coastal wetlands is disrupted, and the height difference created between the coastal wetlands and the Caspian Sea level causes the freshwater that enters the wetlands to be discharged directly, which is currently happening in Anzali
Wetland.

Therefore, any interaction if carried out without comprehensive supervision can lead to coastal crises, and these crises, if there is no follow-up management, can overshadow the social and economic infrastructure, which requires a powerful, responsible organization that is strengthened through the judiciary, he suggested.

 Largest enclosed inland body of water

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth by area. It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the west, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast. The sea has an area of 600,384 square kilometers and a coastline of 7,000 kilometers.

Hosting 400 aquatic species and holding third place in terms of oil and gas reserves under its bed after the “Persian Gulf” and “Siberia” has doubled the value of this basin, while sturgeon are the most important inhabitants of the lake.

Frequent oil spills in the coastal areas of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, the entry of waste of over 40 factories and refineries into the sea, and the decline and extinction of the Caspian Sea aquatic species since 1990 are among the main challenges faced by the Caspian Sea.

Long-term forecasts based on climate change scenarios show 4-6 meters drop in the lake's water level over the next 30 to 50 years.

The environmental issues of the Sea have pushed the sole marine mammal inhabiting the Caspian Sea to not have suitable breeding grounds.

Covering an area of about 400 square kilometers, the Gulf of Gorgan also known as Gorgan Bay, is located near the cities of Behshahr, Gorgan, and Sari and is separated from the main water body by the Miankaleh peninsula and extends until the Ashuradeh peninsula.

The long and narrow peninsula is 48 kilometers long, and between 1.3 and 3.2 kilometers wide, which sets apart Gorgan Bay from the Caspian Sea. Four villages namely Ashuradeh, Qezel-e Shomali, Qezel-Mehdi, and Qavasatl are situated on the peninsula.

Geological evidence has shown that the Gulf of Gorgan had not yet formed about 2,600 years ago when the water level of the Caspian Sea was 22 meters high, and during the Little Ice Age, at the altitude of 24 meters, the Miankaleh Peninsula began to form and the Gorgan Bay was created.

The ecology of Gorgan Bay is affected by the Caspian Sea, adjacent rivers, and the Miankaleh Peninsula, which play an important role in the growth and reproduction of aquatic, bony, and cartilaginous fish and the attraction of migratory birds.

Covering more than 19,000 hectares, Anzali 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 waterbirds.

Anzali Wetland has suffered huge sediment and sludge accumulation due to the entrance of domestic and agricultural sewage from five surrounding cities, which resulted in a decrease in the wetland’s depth and capacity along with threatening biodiversity.

One of the most important concerns regarding Anzali Wetland is a constant drop in depth which was 11 meters before while shrinking to 1 meter or even 50 centimeters in recent years.

FB/MG