Parishan Wetland, covering an area of approximately 4,300 hectares, is located east of Kazerun County in Fars Province, within the Arjan–Parishan Protected Area. The wetland is a designated Ramsar Site and has an ecosystem management plan in place. Together with Arjan Wetland, it has also been recognized by UNESCO as part of the Arjan and Parishan Biosphere Reserve. In recent years, however, unsustainable development within the watershed, excessive abstraction of groundwater resources, and prolonged periods of drought have placed the wetland under severe environmental stress and led to significant ecological degradation.

To promote participatory management and strengthen the conservation of Iran’s wetlands, the Conservation of Iranian Wetlands Project (CIWP) has been working since 2005, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the Department of Environment of Iran (DoE). The project focuses on advancing ecosystem-based management at both national and local levels, creating opportunities for stakeholder participation, and developing and implementing comprehensive management plans for the country’s priority wetlands. Within this framework, the Parishan Wetland Management Plan was prepared through a participatory process to promote greater coordination between development activities and conservation measures across the watershed and has since entered the implementation phase.

Based on the priorities identified in the Parishan Wetland Management Plan, and building upon the successful experiences of the Conservation of Iranian Wetlands Project in Lake Urmia, Shadegan Wetland, and Bakhtegan Wetland, Parishan Wetland has been selected as one of the implementation pilot sites in the current phase of the project. The main interventions include the development of ecosystem-based conservation models, the establishment of sustainable agriculture practices in seven pilot villages, the promotion of ecosystem-compatible livelihood diversification in six pilot villages, and the implementation of environmental education and public awareness programmes. These activities have been underway since the beginning of 2025, in collaboration with key stakeholders and local communities in several villages surrounding the wetland. The continuation and expansion of these initiatives throughout the Parishan watershed are expected to make a significant contribution to conserving natural resources, improving local livelihoods, and supporting the long-term restoration and sustainable management of this valuable wetland ecosystem.