A Najafi - Expert of Boundary Rivers & Share Waters Bureau, Ministry of Energy, Tehran, Iran
J Vatanfada - Consultant of Water Affair Deputy of Iranian Ministry of Energy and Secretary of Boundary Rivers Coordination Committee, Ministry of Energy, Tehran, Iran

During past decades surface and ground water were resources for supplying agricultural, municipal and industrial consumers. Rivers are the most important supplier of people water requirements, such as Hydro powers, water transportation and fresh water. The quality and quantity of river flow characteristics effects on riparian and aquatics environment. As most of rivers at the end of basins discharge to wetlands, the life of wetlands depond on their suppliers. Several kinds of animals and special aquatics spieces live in wetlands and groups of migrated birds could spend their winter periods in wetlands, also wetlands have specifice vegetation covers (i.e Reeds). Hamoons are transboundary wetlands between Iran and Afghanistan which get their water from Hirmand (helmand) River. Hamoon-e-Puzak, Chonge Sorkh, Baringak, Hamoon Saberi, Hamoon Hirmand, are wetlands which form a unique freshwater wetland ecosystem of outstanding local, national, and international importance. As such, it has been designated as wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention by the Iranian Government in 1975. The lakes sustain a rich freshwater flora, a unique aquatic fauna, including endemic fish species, and attract large numbers of migratory water-birds. The wetlands have a great ecological, economical and cultural value, and offer a livelihood to a significant proportion of the human population in the Sistan basin. Over the last decade's drought seem to have occurred more frequently than before, and the vegetation cover has dramatically decreased. The degradation of the ecosystem is of great concern to the authorities and the local people, who see their livelihood threatened. With the decline of the vegetation, also the migratory birds have vanished. Between 2001 and 2005 the lakes have been completely dry most of the time. People lost their income from fisheries, reed harvest, grazing, and bird harvesting, and agriculture suffered from severe shortage of water. Reasons for the degradation may be increased occurrence of droughts, decreased discharge of the Hirmand River due to increased water use in Afghanistan, over-exploitation of natural resources by the growing local population, and the introduction of exotic herbivorous fish which may have prevented new growth of reeds after the droughts of the mid-1980. For decreasing Environmental challenges in Transboundary Rivers and Share wetlands, it is necessary to go toward Integrated Water Resources Management in the basin and improve cooperation between countries, prepare or strengthen water bilateral or more treaties and using international technical and other support to help wetland continue its life and keep its individual aquatics and natures for next years. In this paper recent condition of Hamoon wetlands, implemented works and suggested solution for conservation and rehabilitation of Hamoons will be presented.

Hamoon, Sistan basin, Transboundary Rivers, Wetland