Anzali Wetland

South east area of Anzali Wetland. Keshurud River,pasture (seasonal wetland) and reed bed of Chokum Wildlife Refuge are seen. The building with red roof is Anzali Wetland Eco Tourism Center.
Many wintering waterbirds in Sorkhankol Wildlife Refuge, the central of the wetland.
Group of Dalmatian Pelicans (Pelecanus crispus) in the north of Anzali Wetland.
Blooming Lotus community  in west lagoon of the wetland.
Sorkhankol and Sorkhankol Wildlife Refuge. Selke WR station, Anzali Wetland Education Center and attached observation facilities are seen.
Whiskered Tern's (Chlidonias hybrida)  nests on the submerged aquatic plant in west lagoon of Anzali Wetland
Whiskered Tern's (Chlidonias hybrida) nests on Water chestnuts leaves in Sorkhankol Wildlife Refuge
Colony of Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) in West Lagoon
Many wintering waterbirds in Selke Wildlife Refuge
Many Purple Swamphens (Porphyrio porphyrio) in Selke Wildlife Refuge. Hundreds of PS can be sometimes seen in front of reedbed in Anzali Wetland.
Eurasian Marsh Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) in West Lagoon. The biomass of the flog is very huge in the site which provides food s for other animals.
Experience-based education program in Selke Wildlife Refuge

Anzali Wetland

  • Country: 
    Iran (Islamic Republic of)
  • Site number: 
    40
  • Area: 
    19,500 ha
  • Designation date: 
    23-06-1975
  • Coordinates: 
    37°26'N 49°24'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

The Site is a large fresh lagoon fed by several rivers from the Talesh Mountains and separated from the Caspian Sea by a dune system. The permanent wetland is surrounded by seasonally flooded marshes which are mainly covered by reedbeds and floating-leaf plants and form vital habitat for waterbirds that migrate along the Afro-Eurasian and Central Asian flyways. Some 140,000 birds from 254 species have been recorded, among which the cormorants, terns, dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), gadwall (Anas strepera) and Eurasian teal (Anas crecca) constitute significant proportion of their regional population. 57 species of fish are found, including the critically endangered stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus) and the vulnerable bulatmai barbel (Luciobarbus capito). Many of these fish migrate to the Site for spawning, including Caspian kutum (Rutilus kutum) and kura bleak (Alburnus filippii) which are endemic to the Sea and its drainage basins. The Site was placed on the Montreux Record in 1993 due to change in water levels, increased nutrient enrichment and hunting, and spread of the reed Phragmites australis and invasive water hyacinth. Several restoration measures have been implemented with international support to address these issues.

Administrative region: 
Gilan Province

  • National legal designation: 
    • protected area - Siahkesim Protected Area
    • wildlife refuge - Chokum Wildlife Refuge
    • wildlife refuge - Selkeh Wildlife Refuge
    • wildlife refuge - Sorkhankol Wildlife Refuge
  • Last publication date: 
    13-04-2023

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents

Ramsar Advisory Missions