Gavkhuni wetland comes to life and revives lives of others

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Migratory birds have returned to Gavkhuni wetland once again as heavy rainfall has revived the long-dried wetland.

Covering more than 47,000 hectares, the wetland is located in the central province of Isfahan.

It is the 19th wetland in Iran designated as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands which came into force in 1975. It recognizes the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.

This wetland lies at the end of the Zayanderud and originates from it. The river, which originates from the Zard-Kuh Mountains of the Bakhtiari, pours into this wetland after crossing Isfahan city.

Due to the dryness of the Zayanderud, the wetland also dried up. But this year, due to heavy rainfall, the Zayanderud was filled with water and revived the Gavkhuni wetland.

The deepest part of the wetland reaches 150 centimeters. The wetland covers an area of 470 square kilometers, but only 50 square kilometers is water.

Gavkhuni wetland comes to life

On the southern margin of the wetland, there is a vast amount of salt, due to the high evaporation of water and the accumulation of salt crystals created. The salt of this sector is extracted and used.

This wetland is a refuge for migratory birds. Thousands of birds migrate to this wetland in the cold season and create a beautiful scene. Seeing birds such as herons, stork, goose, larus, northern shoveler and so on, it is usual views here. Of course, in warm seasons, the wetland hosts birds that come from the south to the lake.

In this wetland, you can see animals such as wild ovis, wild boar, ruppell’s fox, turtles, Eurasian vipers, rabbits, goats, bats, and so on who are sheltering and living in this wetland.

The land around the wasteland is so saline that no vegetation has grown a few kilometers on it. But in the wetland, there are different species of plant such as schoenoplectus, algae types and shrubs like haloxylon.