Anzali odyssey

Anzali International Wetland, in Northern Iran in the Middle East, is disappearing. The wetland, which is directly connected to the Caspian Sea, is the largest and most ecologically important site in Iran. It provides a suitable habitat for various species, especially as wintering and breeding areas for one hundred thousand waterbirds from different parts of the world. The wetland is currently experiencing a drastic shrinkage due to the high accumulation of sediments, pollution, intentional fires, inappropriate tourism, port development, and rising temperatures. Discharging pollutants into the wetland, which eventually flow into the Caspian Sea, exacerbates the problem further. According to FAO estimates, the sediment load discharged by the 10 major rivers into the wetland has reduced its depth from 6 meters to below 1 m.

This vast wetland in the north of Iran, along with four other countries, including Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, shares a border with the Caspian Sea. Environmentalists believe that another main reason for the desiccation of the wetland is attributed to the decline of the Caspian Sea’s water level in recent years. Moreover, the construction of new breakwaters, railways, and ring-belt projects, coupled with intensified pollution, have accelerated its desiccation. This has also resulted in a severe reduction of the only connection between Caspian seawater flow and the wetland. These problems are exacerbated by deliberate fires set by profiteers to facilitate land use changes.

The lives of the inhabitants have been adversely affected by the Anzali Wetland Crisis. The devastating effects of the degradation of the wetland have challenged the regional-scale ecological balance, ecosystem function, public health, and local economy. Disappeared areas of the wetland with one and a half million people in the Middle East are now quite a distance from their heyday.

As a whole, the Anzali Wetland is an inseparable part of the collective identity of the people who are witnessing the rapid disappearance of this social memory with their own eyes every moment. This story portrays ordinary people with the same happiness and sorrow, expressing the life scenes in their daily lives.

 

1: Fishermen on their traditional fishing boats are preparing and spreading out the hand-mended nets in the early morning. This type of collective fishing is called Pareh in the local language.

2: An old man is in a coffee house near Azali Wetland. Spending time in coffee houses has always been an intrinsic part of Anzali people's lives, which many of them turn to for both socializing and gambling.

3: Local fishermen catch fish species in the Anzali Wetland. The Caspian kutum, as a migratory and popular fish, has become critically endangered due to the threatening conditions of the wetland.

4: Shanbeh Bazaar is a weekly local market held every Saturday around the Anzali Lagoon. Fresh fish, homemade products, and various other goods are sold, which play a crucial role in fueling the local economy.

5: The wooden piles of an old gambling house have been exposed due to the extremely low water level. This location is adjacent to the Anzali Wetland for meeting friends, drinking tea, and playing dominoes together.

6: The dredger is removing accumulated sediment and Azolla, an invasive plant, from the bottom of water bodies in the only navigable part of Anzali Wetland.

7: Douglas, the migratory pelican, was injured a few years ago and was treated and kept by Uncle Jalal. Unlike most bird species that engage in their annual migration, Douglas did not continue to move after the recovery and has been living with him in his house for years.

8: A local food vendor sells his products near the wetland.

9: Sturgeon breeder in the fish breeding pond. Sturgeon is considered an ancient species, originally native to the Caspian Sea. The margins of the Anzali Wetland have become a burgeoning region for breeding sturgeon fish and producing caviar, renowned as the Iranian caviar and the best caviar in the world. However, Anzali wetland is under threat from the irregular abstraction of pond water (water pumping) for fish farming, particularly in the last few decades.

10: Fishermen have left their jobs as the fishing industry is now facing serious challenges. The dramatic decrease in fish stocks and the devastating environmental consequences mean that this once key source of income is now insufficient.

11: The young people socialize on breakwaters constructed without an environmental impact assessment. The new Anzali breakwaters, coupled with drought conditions, have caused a severe reduction in the only connection between the Caspian seawater flow and the wetland.

12: The bag of a local fisherman, containing some fish caught and pulled from the water.

13: A couple of men and women watch waterbirds at the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge. This protected area was established in 1970 and is located in the Anzali wetland complex, which provides an important habitat for wintering waterbirds.

14: Deforestation, resulting from illegal logging, has caused soil erosion, which has increased sedimentation and led to a gradual reduction in the level of the wetland.

15: Forty hectares of the wetland have been destroyed by a deliberate fire. Arson attacks occur in these years in early September by profiteers occupying the wetland lands for land use change, mainly for farming and construction purposes.

16: A statue of a flamingo is in a storefront. Flamingos are one of the most favorite migratory birds in this region, and the use of their symbol is very common among the people. They are extremely sensitive to disturbance. So, in recent years, most of them have left the wetland for settlement and wintering due to hearing shooting sounds from hunters.

17: A boat is abandoned on the outskirts of the Anzali lagoon, which is no longer usable due to the drying and shallowing of the lagoon. This area has already been a wetland but was recently replaced with a ring road.

17: A boat is abandoned on the outskirts of the Anzali lagoon, which is no longer usable due to the drying and shallowing of the lagoon. This area has already been a wetland but was recently replaced with a ring road.

19: Local people of Gazgisheh village burn marks on horses' bodies, termed branding, to show to whom they belong.

20: May 1990; It is my father's handwriting on the back of the first commemorative photo of my father and me when I was two years old. It was taken within the Iran Hotel grounds in the Anzali Wetland. This hotel burned down in December 2023.