The Shadegan International Wetland is one of the largest in Iran, stretching across 400 to 450 thousand hectares in the southwest of the country, just south of the city of Shadegan in Khuzestan Province. Around 300 thousand hectares of it are designated as a wildlife refuge.

Over the years, this wetland has shrunk dramatically. Industrial projects, road construction, drought, dams, and the diversion of the Karun River’s water have all played their part. The water channel that once carried fresh river water into the wetland each winter has dried up, leaving the ecosystem cut off from what used to sustain it.

Even so, more than 200 species of mammals, reptiles and birds live here. Many are migratory birds, arriving from colder regions. The wetland also plays a vital role in the environment, filtering suspended soil particles and helping to control floods upstream.

Two villages sit on the edge of the wetland, both home to Arabic-speaking communities. One of them, Raghbeh, has become known as a tourist village. For people in both villages, life is closely tied to the wetland. Their livelihoods depend on fishing, herding and the visitors who come to see this place – all bound to the survival of the water.