An ornithological survey in Aq Qaleh Wetland: A means of assessing the status of Aq Qaleh for introducing as international wetland to Ramsar Convention

Document Type : Biodiversity

Authors

1 Department of Environment Faculty of Fishery and Environmental Science, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resouces, Gorgan, Iran.

2 West Azarbaijan Provincial Office of the Department of the Environment, Urmia, Iran.

3 Department of Natural Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

4 Department of Environment Faculty of Fishery and Environmental Science, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resouces, Gorgan, Iran

Abstract

Wetlands as complex ecosystems are under threat, destruction and degradation and researching on wetlands are a critical part of management and conservation actions. The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty on wetlands for conservation in the entire world that emphasizes wise use of wetlands and their resources to maintain and protect waterfowl habitats. The aim of this study is to evaluate the birds criteria of Aq Qaleh wetland to introduce to the Ramsar Convention in the north west of Iran. The data that were analyzed were obtained during field work in 2010-2013. Result show that the Aq Qaleh wetland has condition according to 2, 3, and 4 criteria of the Ramsar Convention. 93 species of the bird of Iran have been recorded, and 26 species of these birds have international and national cooperation for protection. 21 threatened or endangered species, 15 species of 1, 2, and 3 appendices of the CITES treaty, and 4 species of the IUCN Red List have been identified. Result of birds counting in the wetland illustrate that more than 20000 birds were been in the Aq Qaleh wetland during summer of 2013. Our data suggest that the Aq Qaleh have criteria of the Ramsar Convention, thus with studying other criteria, the Aq Qaleh and Suldoze wetlands together could be introduce to the Ramsar Convention to improve its conservation situation.

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