Gomishan Lagoon

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Gomishan Lagoon

  • Country: 
    Iran (Islamic Republic of)
  • Site number: 
    1109
  • Area: 
    17,700 ha
  • Designation date: 
    05-11-2001
  • Coordinates: 
    37°11'N 53°59'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

Gomishan Lagoon. 05/11/01; Golestan; 17,700 ha; 37°11'N 053°57'E. A coastal lagoon at the extreme southeast of the Caspian Sea, at the edge of the Turkmen steppe, separated from the sea by a narrow sandy barrier which is frequently overrun by the sea. The site supports three IUCN Red List vulnerable species of waterbirds, i.e., Pelecanus crispus, Aythya nyroca, and Vanellus gregarious, as well as the vulnerable mammal Phoca (Pusa) caspica; it is also an important staging area for the fish subspecies Rutilus rutilus caspicas. More than 20,000 waterbirds have been observed in the most recent 13 years of censuses, and more than 20 species of waterbirds surpass the 1% threshold (Criteria 5 and 6), and 15 fish species depend upon the site as an important source of food (Criterion 8). The government-owned area provides for fishing and hunting, and some livestock grazing, for some 40,000 inhabitants of the region, in parts of the site and its catchment. Caspian sea-level fluctuations have had some adverse effects. A Ramsar SGF-funded study has provided vital management information on species populations. Subject of Ramsar Advisory Missions in 1992 and 1997. Ramsar site 1109. Most recent RIS information: 2001.

Administrative region: 
Golestan Province

  • National legal designation: 
    • no-hunting and no-fishing area
  • Last publication date: 
    05-11-2001

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)