Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for Lake Urmia Basin Will Be Identified

The CIWP national manager announced a number of collaborations between Conservation of Iranian Wetlands Project (CIWP) and specialized offices from the Department of Environment and Ministry of Energy for promoting inter-sectoral partnership for identification and implementation of measures for adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change in the catchment area of Lake Urmia.

While pointing out the necessity for various communities to adapt to the problems and adverse conditions caused by climate change, Ali Arvahi mentioned the issue of climate change as one of the most important issues of the day from the perspective of natural resource management, human and financial capital preservation.
Ali Arvahi added: “CIWP is planning to develop and implement a program for adapting to climate change in the Lake Urmia Basin through continuous collaboration with related organizational stakeholder”.
Then, he announced that CIWP is planning to have a joint meeting with related offices from the Department of Environment and Ministry of Energy for scheduling the research phase and the development of a climate change plan as well as the strategies and approaches for implementing such a plan. In addition to unsustainable utilization of water resources, climate change has had significant impacts during the recent years on the water level of Lake Urmia, and we are still witnessing its socioeconomic and environmental impacts. Some of the adverse consequences of climate change include the loss of biodiversity, draught, unemployment, and immigration. Accordingly, it is necessary to identify and implement strategies for adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change in order to maintain the current status and accelerate the restoration of Lake Urmia.