Lake Parishan (Persian: دریاچه پریشان) is a lake in Iran. The Parishan Lake is in Jereh and Baladeh District in Fars Province and is the largest freshwater lake in the country.[2] It receives very small amount of water from feeder rivers and the whole lake or wetland is a protected area, as it is considered a globally significant wetland ecosystem.[3] Another lake in this area is that of Arzhan.[4] The whole protected area is called "Arzhan National Park."[5][6] This area is an important sanctuary for birds.[2][3]

Lake Parishan
An old photograph of a lion in Iran by Antoin Sevruguin, c. 1880
Designations
Official nameLake Parishan and Dasht-e-Arjan
Designated23 June 1975
Reference no.37[1]

In the past, the Asiatic lion used to occur in this place, besides other parts of Iran. Nowadays, in the wilderness of Eurasia, the only members of this race of lions occur in and around Gir Forest, in Kathiawar Peninsula, India.[7][8] A plan in 1977 to introduce Gir lions to the area around the lake did not eventually materialize. This area includes the village of Arzhan, and is of agricultural importance, and bringing in lions would mean setting aside farmland, and settling farmers elsewhere.[5][6] This happens to be a reason why it is difficult to reintroduce lions from Gir Forest to another place within India.[9] Nevertheless, Iran's intention to restore its population of lions would continue into the 21st century,[10][11] and in February 2019, Iran obtained a male named 'Kamran' from Bristol Zoo in the United Kingdom,[12] followed in June by the acquisition of a female named 'Eilda' from Dublin Zoo in Ireland, and lodged them at Tehran Zoological Garden in a bid to reproduce and reintroduce lions in the wild.[13]

Geographical location

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This lake is located between 51 degrees and 44 minutes and 51 degrees and 51 minutes of east longitude and 29 degrees and 32 minutes and 30 seconds of north latitude. Its area is 4300 hectares and its height is 820 meters above the open water level. Its catchment area is 266.5 square kilometers and its largest area is in April.[14]

Biodiversity

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Flora

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  • In this lake, different types of coarse or fine algae and submerged algae containing green algae live, including the following: Phytoplankton, Spirogyra, Nitzschia, Lemanea, Gomphosphaeria, Gymnodinium.[15]
  • Submerged plants in Parishan Lake, which are completely submerged in water, include the following types: Najadaceae and Ceratophyllaceae families are plants that are completely submerged in water and only their flowers may appear on the surface or outside of the water surface.[15]
  • Different types of plants like the following live in this ecosystem: Phragmites ,Typhaceae ,Cyperaceae ,Liliaceae.[15]

Fauna

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10 species of fish live in Parishan Lake, which are in the order of average abundance: Capoeta barroisi ,Shishamo ,Mesopotamian himri ,Eurasian carp ,Hypostomus plecostomus ,Crucian carp ,Anguillidae ,Liza abu and Shabout.[16]

Registered in UNESCO

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This lake has been registered as an international wetland in the Ramsar Convention and is considered a protected area in the division of regions.[17]

drying up of the lake

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The existence of 1,300 wells for unsustainable agriculture has been the main reason for the drying up of Parishan Lake.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Lake Parishan and Dasht-e-Arjan". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Dasht-e Arjan and Lake Parishan (Important Birds Areas of Iran, Islamic Republic of)". BirdLife International. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Iranian Wetlands Conservation Project – Lake Urmia and Lake Parishan – Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)". WWT. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  4. ^ FARS Geography and History[usurped]
  5. ^ a b Humphreys, P.; Kahrom, E. (1999). "Lion". Lion and Gazelle: The Mammals and Birds of Iran. Avon: Images Publishing. pp. 77–80. ISBN 978-0951397763.
  6. ^ a b Firouz, E. (2005). "Lion". The complete fauna of Iran. London, New York: I. B. Tauris. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-85043-946-2.
  7. ^ Heptner, V. G.; Sludskii, A. A. (1992) [1972]. "Lion". Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola [Mammals of the Soviet Union, Volume II, Part 2]. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. pp. 83–95. ISBN 978-90-04-08876-4.
  8. ^ Singh, H. S.; Gibson, L. (2011). "A conservation success story in the otherwise dire megafauna extinction crisis: The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) of Gir forest" (PDF). Biological Conservation. 144 (5): 1753–1757. Bibcode:2011BCons.144.1753S. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.02.009.
  9. ^ Johnsingh, A.J.T. (2006). "Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary ready to play second home to Asiatic lions?". Field Days: A Naturalist's Journey Through South and Southeast Asia. Hyderabad: Universities Press. pp. 126–138. ISBN 8173715521.
  10. ^ Dey, A. (16 July 2009). "Rajasthan to be home for cheetahs". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  11. ^ Khosravifard, S. (22 May 2010). "Russia, Iran exchange tigers for leopards but some experts express doubts". Payvand News. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  12. ^ Amlashi, Hamid (5 February 2019). "Return To Motherland: Asiatic lion returns to Iran after 80 years". Tehran Times. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  13. ^ "From Dublin to Tehran: Persian Lioness Joins Male Companion". Iran Front Page. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  14. ^ "از زندگی تا مرگ دریاچه پریشان شهرستان کازرون". دلگرم (in Persian). 21 April 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  15. ^ a b c ایران, گروه کویرها و بیابان‌های (8 December 2011). "پوشش گیاهی و جانوری تالاب پریشان". کویرها و بیابان‌های ایران (in Persian). Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  16. ^ "ماهی های بومی و معرفی شده دریاچه پریشان".
  17. ^ "آشنایی با جاذبه های دریاچه پریشان (پیرشون) + تصاویر". نمناک (in Persian). Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  18. ^ "آب فروشی؛ قاتل خاموش پریشان | 1300 حلقه چاه حقابه پریشان را می‌بلعد". همشهری آنلاین (in Persian). 4 June 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.

29°31′7″N 51°47′47″E / 29.51861°N 51.79639°E / 29.51861; 51.79639