Case Description

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Geolocation:	37° 45' 36.3222", 45° 28' 53.081"
Total Population	4.64,600,000 millionmillion
Total Area	51,87651,876 km² 20,029.324 mi² km²
Climate Descriptors	Humid mid-latitude (Köppen C-type), Continental (Köppen D-type), Dry-summer
Predominent Land Use Descriptors	agricultural- cropland and pasture, agricultural- confined livestock operations
Important Uses of Water	Agriculture or Irrigation, Domestic/Urban Supply, Industry - consumptive use, Industry - non-consumptive use, Other Ecological Services

Summary

Natural, Historic, Economic, Regional, and Political Framework

Issues and Stakeholders

Agricultural Lands: Importance of agricultural productivity and negative impacts from agricultural water use

NSPD: Water Quantity, Ecosystems, Assets
Stakeholder Types: Federated state/territorial/provincial government, Sovereign state/national/federal government, Local Government, Development/humanitarian interest, Environmental interest, Community or organized citizens

35 dams built on 21 rivers in the basin combined with groundwater exploitation in response to recent drought cycles have depleted the Lake’s water level. This is combined with degradation of agricultural lands and the resultant loss of productivity, soil erosion and salinization, and other land impacts from water scarcity. A continued trend could lead to future migration or other human displacement from these lands. A collapse of the agricultural economy would lead to myriad social and economic problems stemming from ruined livelihoods, unemployment and social migration from the rural region to cities.

Tourism – as lake levels drop, the scenic and recreational value of the lake also decreases

NSPD: Ecosystems, Assets, Values and Norms

Lake Urmia and its islands are designated as a national park and the Lake has historically been a tourist destination. Visitors come for the swimming, boating, and enjoying the scenery and diverse wildlife the park offers. A reduction in tourism value due to desiccation of the lake has direct economic impacts and lead to a reduced educational impact (such as awareness of biodiversity) from the park’s existence and related activities.

Link between the water level in Lake Urmia, public health, and environmental health problems

NSPD: Water Quality, Ecosystems, Assets
Stakeholder Types: Local Government, Environmental interest, Community or organized citizens

Industrial pollutants and heavy metals, and the use of large quantities of pesticides to control parasites and weeds have accumulated in groundwater and surface water that inflow to the lake. Therefore, Urmia Lake's water contains Cl-, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Hco3-, K+, Li, So42+, and F (Abazopoulos et al., 2006). In recent years, half of the lake has changed to saline area that contains these toxic materials. If winds blow from this polluted area near the lake to other places in the region, the consequence would be a huge change in the cycle of region's ecosystem also in people's life. For example, in the cities, by breathing this toxic air, people will have many illnesses such as breathing problems.

The lake's water salinity increased significantly and supersaturated with brine, and this will continue in the future, too. The number of visiting birds has been reduced significantly. The lake is a significant habitat for Artemia (brine shrimp), which are valued food source for migratory birds, including flamingos. Increasing salinity threatens the various species

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