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Miankaleh Wildlife Sanctuary, IRAN, WOLVES IN PROTECTED AREAS
Abstract
In recent years, many wetlands in the semi-arid and arid regions of southwest Asia, particularly in southern Iran, have completely dried up, raising significant concerns regarding the reproductive success of the greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus). This study investigates the breeding success of the species in the saline wetlands of Bakhtegan and Maharloo in southern Iran over the breeding seasons 2023 and 2024. In 2023, egg laying initiated around mid-March in Bakhtegan, but the breeding site was subsequently deserted around April 23 during the egg hatching period likely due to drought conditions and disturbances from humans and predators. We counted a total of 1,953 nests and 538 dead chicks. The extremely low precipitation (about 33 mm) during the wet seasons of 2024 further resulted in suboptimal breeding conditions, leading to the absence of flamingos in Bakhtegan. Survey in Maharloo demonstrated breeding success in 2023, with an estimated 1,700 to 2,200 chicks. However, subsequent surveys in 2024 revealed no nests or chicks. Droughts, coupled with human interventions such as upstream dam construction and agricultural irrigation, have severely threatened flamingo populations, contributing to flamingo breeding failures and increased chick mortality.