In order to promote the level of social responsibility, empower the local communities, and facilitate their participation in the process of restoring Lake Urmia,CIWP has taken various measures such as organizing regular training plans and workshops on facilitation of and the principles of participatory activities; organizing photography and visual media exhibitions; publication and dissemination of educational books for various social groups including authorities, managers, the clergy, the farmers, the youth, female villagers, and children; and sending informational SMS messages to farmers by establishing a ‘sustainable agriculture information system’ (SAKPA). Other activities can be summarized as follows:
• Establishing a sustainable agriculture information system and sending more than 750,000 informational SMS messages about the values, threats, and strategies for the restoration of Lake Urmia;
• Organizing various campaigns, exhibitions, festivals, and fairs for presenting the achievements, and increasing public awareness about the conservation and restoration of Lake Urmia;
• Publication and dissemination of informational material including brochures, booklets, posters, and the like for teaching sustainable agriculture techniques in order to reduce the consumption of water and chemical inputs;
• Developing more than ten movies, video clips, and animations on the importance of the conservation and restoration of Lake Urmia, its services, and its functions;
• Introducing and implementing complementary managerial tools such as the payment for ecosystem services (PES) and economic valuation of wetlands in one of the satellite wetlands around Lake Urmia (i.e., Kanibrazan Wetland);
• Planning and coordinating training courses for more than 4,700 students and 380 teachers in Lake Urmia basin on the role of local communities in the restoration of the lake;
• Promoting the capacity of the clergy in the villages covered by the sustainable agriculture project for educating the local communities on restoration of Lake Urmia;
• Educating more than 750 female villagers on their potential role in the restoration of Lake Urmia.