Govt. pledges to increase water level at Lake Urmia 

TEHRAN — The Iranian government has pledged to take measures to increase water level at Lake Urmia by one meter within the next three years, deputy environment chief Masoud Tajrishi has said.

Budget deficit could do irreparable damage to Lake Urmia

TEHRAN — Officials in charge of Lake Urmia restoration program have said the government has not allocated budget to the project in the next Iranian calendar year (March 2017-March 2018) and this could do irreparable damage to the lake’s restoration program.

Govt. allots $205m to Lake Urmia restoration

TEHRAN — The cabinet of ministers has allocated some 8.2 trillion rials (nearly $205 million) to Lake Urmia restoration projects, IRIB reported on Wednesday.

By Farnaz Heidari

When we can say a wetland is dead?

Wetlands include salt marshes, swamps, bogs, prairie potholes and vernal pools (shallow depressions that hold water at certain times of the year). Their common feature is that they are saturated with water seasonally and therefore have a particular type of vegetation and soil.

By Farnaz Heidari

‘Eden Again’, a project to promote the restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshlands

Lands covered temporarily or permanently by water (except for lakes, reservoirs, and streams) and located away from coastal areas are called inland wetlands. They include marshes, prairie potholes (depressions carved out by glaciers), swamps (dominated by trees and shrubs), mud flats, flood-plains, bogs (rain-fed, peat-rich areas), wet meadows, and the wet arctic tundra in summer. Some wetlands are huge, others are small.

Administration assigned by new environmental protection laws

TEHRAN — Iran’s parliament (Majlis) on Thursday approved bills, mandating the administration to ensure the implementation of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and environmental impact assessment (EIA).