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In the name of God Nezami Balouchi, Shaban Ali Caspian Conservation Habitat Project In *Caspian Region in Iran
*Significance of Caspian Region Habitats in Iran
*Environmental Risks of Caspian Region in Iran
*Conservation Fundamentals of Caspian Region Habitats
*Conservation Potentials in the Caspian Region
Conservation of Caspian Habitats Introduction The Caspian region beholds the largest lake in the world that is regarded as one of the most unique and valuable aquatic ecosystems and has received worldwide reputation as the gem of Europe-Asia for its outstanding significance particularly in the past 10 years. The Islamic Republic of Iran, Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, Kazakhastan and Turkmenistan are located around this region. Apart from its geopolitical location that is of great importance in the regional and global political dealings, the Caspian region is considered a lead the marginal countries to prosperity. The existence of oil in this region makes it one of the greatest resources in the world and there is no mistaking that it will turn into a paradigm in the world's economic dealings. Trade and transportation are among the other important features of this region that although having the potential for expansion as a primary factor in the global and regional economic dealings, are not being made use of to their best. However the impacts of this ecosystem on the climatic conditions of marginal countries in relation to various economical and social activities is quite evident. The valuable bio resources of this water body have for years been a coastal and sometimes global economic support. Therefore in order to preserve the natural conditions of this ecosystem that is faced with crisis caused by social, economical and ecological pressure, it is necessary that the concerned authorities in the regional, national as well as international levels divert their attention to this ecosystem. Neglecting the crisis prevailing in the Caspian region and its surroundings will turn this region into a mere expanse of water, arresting all its activities and leading to formidable conditions for its stockholders. This will more than anything else uproot the position of its stockholders and also any other activity attempted in that region. Caspian Environment On the bass of international agreements and in light of the world's scientific community, the Caspian ecosystem with its specific geographical location is made up of a collection of water bodies, coastal water basin and sometimes extends to 100 Km from the seas coastal borderline. It is evident that from this description the most important components of this ecosystem on land as well as in the water are environmentally dependant on the water expanse. This includes the deepest regions of the Caspian region up to the coastal line and again from the coastal line up to the pastures on mountain peaks including prairies, wetlands, reservoirs, rivers, cites, hills, forests, and countryside. Looking at the Caspian one is aware of its uniqueness. The presence of living fossil species such as sturgeons in the water expanse and the Hirgan forests in its terrestrial region that have survived since ancient times, the feature of being a closed water body with a water exchange capacity up to at least a hundred years, the ecological variations that exist in this region extending from the countryside up to forests, the presence of a few large and several small rivers, rare and endangered bird species, hundreds of migratory fish species and tens of migratory birds, several enriched estuaries, coastal and mountainside lagoons, valuable bays and thousands of other significant ecosystems, 300 of which can be named in Iran alone, are among the specific characteristics of the Caspian environment. Looking upon the Caspian as a valuable living habitat of the world we can easily perceive how the complex mutual ecological relations that exist among the various species and the living networks in this ecosystem have remarkably increased the biodiversity in it. On the other hand development and destructive trends that result from unstable situation work hand in hand with other social economical and political crisis dominating in the Caspian region and pose a severe threat to this biodiversity and the succession resulting from this befalls the survivors of this region. In reality it threatens the biodiversity of habitats, species and genes. Caspian habitats and the need for their conservation Focal point of environmental studies in the world during the past 20 years have changed greatly and passed on from focus on living species to concentrating on their living habitats. The reason for this scientific and specific turn to environment is quite clear. Investigations carried out that comprise all species no matter how extensive they are although essential and important however can by ho means be effective directly in conservation of species and their environment. The fact that species attain their ecological significance in their living habitat specifies the need for conservation of habitats and attention to ecosystems. It is for this reason that science today is directed to conservation of habitats and living organisms and studies pertaining to them are considered to be dependant on the sustainability of these habitats. On the whole Caspian habitats are regarded as one of the most miscellaneous habitats in the region. This diversity in habitats leads to species diversity that in turn results in significant genetic variability. Rivers, mountains, forests, coasts, prairies, lagoons, reservoirs etc., all exhibit high diversity and each of them plays a specific and ecologically significant role in the unique Caspian ecosystem. Habitats are considered the foundation of development of species and a rich resource of genes. Thus the need to protect these key components of environments seems only essential because any changes induced on them will influence species and the loss of habitats will mean loss of species and environment. Fundamentals of conservation of Caspian habitats in Iran Conservation of environments in Iran particularly in the Caspian region (North Iran) or to be more specific conservation of habitats has begun several decades ago. According to the Iranian Constitution Law (rule 50) every Iranian is obliged to protect the environment and causing damage of any kind to the environment is strictly forbidden. Therefore in order to fulfill this rule and to employ these laws, the Environment Conservation Organization was established in Iran on the basis of the following fundamentals:
A union of efficient guards to protect the region and habitat physically, control illegal hunting and catch and avoid loss of habitats.
This includes an union of experts specialized in ecological, biological and environmental sciences who control and monitor species and habitats, determine momentary changes with respect to the past and compare these changing trends.
This includes a union of experts specialized in chemistry, environmental sciences, sewage treatment etc., who are responsible for control and monitoring of human and rural activities. This group examines the sewage outlets and analyzes the chemical and microbial load in this matter.
Environmental assessments are carried out in order to control or prevent loss of natural environments and habitats resulting from certain specific activities that include establishment of industry. This is done either prior to or at the time of commencing the project so that such activities may progress without inducing any damage on the environment. A review of the fundamentals of conservation in Iran show that the public plays a very minor role in environment conservation although we are assured that increased public participation in issues related to habitat conservation will prove more effective. Living networks of Caspian habitats and the need to study them All habitats that are located beside or at close distances from each other constitute the living network of the Caspian habitat. No comprehensive studies have been carried out on the components of this network that include different ecosystems like estuaries, coastal areas, rivers, lagoons, reservoirs, prairies, forests, mountains etc. Although some of these ecosystems have been studied to some extent and reliable information and data have been collected through the previous years, however it is necessary that all the ecosystems be studied simultaneously. Generally, conservation of habitats and the need to study the conservation network are the main points to be considered in the living network of habitat. To date, no studies have been conducted related to the network and thus we cannot consider or make any attempts to plan their conservation network. On the other hand we still do not have unified ideas regarding priorities for planning these networks and the essentials for studies on habitats. Therefore to begin, it is necessary that we launch a scientific meeting with the participation of all Caspian marginal countries to work out a common scientific methodology to study the networks and to plan out conservation networks for it. It is understood that the living network of each country should be in co-ordination with the regional living network. There is no doubt that any planning done without taking into consideration other living networks will not be fruitful and will certainly prove ineffective and may even be in contradiction to and or abate conditions of other living networks in other countries. The network should nevertheless include habitats of species because studies on networks are conducted to ensure safe and secure living conditions for the organism as well as to be beneficial to man. On the other hand we must also provide conditions for sustainability regarding protection of species and their genes. Conservation of habitats, ensure survival of species It is quite evident that conservation Apart from the fact that planning conservation networks and conducting studies on them depends on comprehensive and unified studies, we should not overlook the point that in whatever way it is achieved, conservation plays the most important ole in species survival. As mentioned earlier the fundamentals of conservation in Iran include, security guards, monitoring and control of natural and human habitats, environmental assessments and human participation. Reliable and sound examples are available on conservation and its importance regarding attracting species and physical protection by guards in a small lagoon ecosystem lying in the delta of the Sefidrud River. This lagoon ecosystem named Boujagh has a water expanse of 81 hectares that lies in an open area of 1905 hectares. In late 1998 considering that it had no previous record of environmental management, the Environmental Conservation head office in Gilan with the approval of the Environment Conservation Organization prohibited hunting in this lagoon. Since that time the environmental conservation guards and experts apart from protecting this area, also began to conduct studies on it and control the conditions existing init. On the basis of findings of the experts and public there is evidence of the presence of several hundred birds in this region, although the period of their stay in this region is very short and insignificant. In 1998 with the beginning of environmental management in this region about 30,000 birds belonging to 19 different species were reported to have wintered in this region. In 1999, regulations and control on hunting and catch and also technical studies conducted on this region continued. During this year more than 50,000 birds with a specific diversity of more than 100 species were seen in this region during the study period that captivated one and all. During the autumn and winter of the same year and before the beginning of the year 2000 the security guards and experts reported the presence of rare species such asthe Siberian crane. The matter was pursued by the Environmental Conservation Organization of Iran and a project has been proposed to study the Siberian crane that will begin in early 2002. In 2000, more than 75,000 birds were reported in two rounds of census that was conducted to confirm the previous findings. During the past 2 years many species have remained in this region and have not abandoned it and have also multiplied in numbers owing to the safe and secure conditions prevailing in this region and the availability of abundant food. It is worthy to note that several species including pelicans, flamingos and reddish shell duck have been reported for the first time in the history of this lagoon that is located in the delta of the Sefidrud River. The illustration of such information during the short period of environmental management employed on this region are indicative of the fact that animals are capable of sensing safety within a short time and seek refuge in such protected areas. Another point of significance is that animals are capable of recovering their numbers and species diversity in a very short time and thus respond positively to favorable environmental conditions. This example speaks of several advantages of a protected area. Public participation is another kind of conservation. There is a small village that lies in the southern coasts of the Caspian called Roudposht that has a small reservoir of about a few tens of hectares. In order to make the best use of the water from this reservoir the inhabitants of this village have set up rules and regulations on a mutual agreement that include:
These regulations were put into effect through autumn and winter that coincided with the migration of birds to this region. The stockholders took turns to set up their nets along the margins of the lands that overlooked the reservoir. In this way they succeeded in catching a few birds everyday without trespassing into the main reserves of the reservoir. Thus the calm and peaceful environment of birds in the reservoir was not disturbed. It is worthy to note that several rare and endangered species of birds have also been reported in this area. This speaks of the attractive feature of this region for migratory birds. More than 2000 small and large reservoirs (excluding lagoons) that cover a total area of above 25000 hectares lie in the Caspian region in the north of Iran. Reservoirs with an area of 1-700 hectares in the Caspian region with different expansions are one of the biggest environmental advantages that are an attraction for migratory birds. Any part of the 25000 hectares water basin in this region that has gone under conservation and protection has been able to show its potential in attracting birds within a very short period. At the same time the coastal area of the sea that show high potentials such as reservoirs and lagoons can also play a significant role in attracting organisms. However one should not overlook the supporting role of estuaries and ponds that cover a surface area of several hundred hectares and store water for agricultural purposes. There are several examples of such reservoirs in the Mazandaran Province such as Lapozaghmorz and other reservoirs in the Feredounkar region and others such as Ezhdehabaloneh, Barkousara and Roudposht in the Gilan Province. It should be noted that most of these water resources are used for agricultural purposes. However since only one type of crop is cultivated in this region these resources are left unused during the second half of the year and thus may be used to attract migratory birds. Nevertheless we must also consider the valuable potentials of forests. As mentioned earlier, forests are an ecologically rich resource of living fossils that are increasingly threatened to destruction. The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has banned any type of exploitation from the forest region and is setting up strict regulations to protect the forest regions in the north that will be a turning point in the history of the exploitation of the Hirgan forests. |
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