I. R. of Iran designates the Gomishan Lagoon

I. R. of Iran designates the Gomishan Lagoon. The Bureau is very pleased to announce that, effective 5 November 2001, the Islamic Republic of Iran, one of the original seven Contracting Parties in 1975, has designated the Gomishan Lagoon (Golestan Province, 17,700 hectares, 37°11’N 053°57’E) as its 21^st Wetland of International Importance. The new Ramsar site is a coastal lagoon at the extreme southeast of the Caspian Sea, at the edge of the Turkmen steppe, separated from the sea by a narrow sandy barrier which is frequently overrun by the sea. The site supports three IUCN Red List vulnerable species of waterbirds, i.e., Pelecanus crispus, Aythya nyroca, and Vanellus gregarious, as well as the vulnerable mammal Phoca (Pusa) caspica; it is also an important staging area for the fish subspecies Rutilus rutilus caspicas. More than 20,000 waterbirds have been observed in the most recent 13 years of censuses, and more than 20 species of waterbirds surpass the 1% threshold (Criteria 5 and 6), and 15 fish species depend upon the site as an important source of food (Criterion 8). The government-owned area provides for fishing and hunting, and some livestock grazing, for some 40,000 inhabitants of the region, in parts of the site and its catchment. Caspian sea-level fluctuations have had some adverse effects. A Ramsar SGF-funded study has provided vital management information on species populations.

The new designation follows up on a Ramsar Advisory Mission in 1992 and a Small Grants Fund project in 1996 to prepare for designation, as well as the recommendations of another RAM mission in 1997, http://ramsar.org/ram_rpt_37e.htm, which recommended designation as soon as possible. [22/11/01]