An assessment of threats to Anatidae in Iran

Abstract

SummaryThe network of wetland systems in Iran provides valuable staging and wintering areas for waterbirds in the African-Western Eurasian flyways. The West Siberian/Caspian/Nile populations of Anatidae (ducks, geese and swans) regularly overwinter and stop over in Iran, and are considered an economically and culturally important group of birds in the country. Conservation of such migratory birds requires the identification of key threat factors impacting them throughout the flyway. Since documented data on the status and threats facing Anatidae in Iran are very scarce, in this paper, we attempted to determine the general population trends for the 26 Anatidae species in Iran, using annual waterbird census data, and to identify and score the most important threat factors affecting each species, by consulting the top ornithologists and professional birdwatchers in the country by means of a survey. Our results indicate that the most prevalent threats affecting all 26 species are dam construction, water management practices, and hunting. Our results provide the necessary material for Red List assessment of these species at the national level, an important tool for conservation priority setting within Iran and in the flyway.

An early warning system for highly pathogenic viruses borne by waterbird species and related dynamics of climate change in the Caspian Sea region: Outlines of a concept

“…Another example of damgah are those constituting the wetland of Fereidoun-Kenar further east on the southern Caspian coastal plain. The wetland is basically artificial, but serves as an exceptional winter habitat for migratory waterbirds, the trappers obtaining sufficient income each year from this long-established and ecologically sustainable custom (Nourani et al, 2015).…”