(Iran's Environment News Agency) - Dr. Mike Moser, Senior International Project adviser of the Convention on International Wetlands Protection (CIWP) has sent the world a message on World Wetlands Day, noting the importance of wetlands and talking about the accomplishments and efforts to preserve that them.

“A great deal has been achieved over the last 10 years to improve the management of wetlands in Iran, as indicated by changed attitudes among decision makers and the public, community empowerment in wetland management and much stronger inter-sector cooperation.
However many threats remain, new developments continue to arise, and climate change continues to accelerate. There is therefore a great urgency to upgrade and intensify these achievements for wetlands nationwide. This will require close strategic coordination at the provincial and national levels. The recent adoption of a new national Regulation on Wetlands is a key milestone, and I hope we will soon witness the approval of a National Wetland Conservation Strategy and Action Plan.

Historically Iran has been a champion for global wetland conservation globally and in the region since the birth of the Convention on Wetlands at Ramsar in 1971. The lifting of sanctions provides a much-needed opportunity to establish new international partnerships for wetlands conservation and I very much hope we will see a rapid and strong engagement from international organisations, bi-lateral donors and the private sector to support Iran in achieving its goals for wetland maintenance and regeneration."

by Alireza Ghamkhar, Translate Fatemeh Ghamkhar