Tehran: Iran will host the regional center of the Ramsar Convention for three more years, maintaining its position as one of four international hubs serving West and Central Asia and engaging countries in educational and research activities. Iran secured the extension with the continuous and joint efforts of the Department of Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971, marking the first international treaty on the protection of wetlands of global ecological, economic, and cultural importance. The convention is recognized as the first successful model of global cooperation in the field of environment.
The conservation and sustainable management of wetlands and their associated ecosystems, along with international cooperation in scientific information, are among the main objectives of the Ramsar Convention. With 160 countries now members of the treaty and committing to safeguard designated Ramsar 'initiatives' endorsed in the UN climate summit, Iran, as the regional center with 33 wetlands, plays a critical role in biodiversity conservation.
Ramsar is a unique center focusing specifically on West and Central Asia, managing 15 member countries in the region, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.
Ahmadreza Lahijanzadeh, Deputy for Marine Environment at Iran's Department of Environment, told IRNA that the recent extension prevented the Ramsar center's transfer to another country and strengthens Iran's regional leadership. He noted that despite requests from some neighboring countries to relocate the center, Iran's diplomatic and budgetary measures succeeded in maintaining the status quo, while its international activities were widely appreciated by the Ramsar Convention Secretariat.
Lahijanzadeh also announced the center's activities in the field of mangrove forest protection with the cooperation of China, which he said had entered the operational phase.