Zarivar (Zaribar) Lagoon – Marivan

Zarivar Lagoon is one of the precious lagoons in the west of Iran and is considered a tourism hub in the country. This stunning ecosystem with an area of about 3000 hectare is a combination of water, canebrake and wildlife is located in the western border of Marivan. By ongoing attemps from the Department of Environment in Kurdistan and according to the decisions of the Cabinet, this lagoon is in the process of being registered in the list of international lagoons (Ramsar List). Eel species and a kind of Sheng are some of the special species in this lagoon. Numerous species of native fish such as Capoeta trutta, capoeta damascina, barred sicklefish, Sauce fish, Chalcalburnus mossulensis and Gambusia live in this lagoon. This lagoon is an important aquatic ecosystem in life cycle due to seasonal migration of a number of birds. It is like a beautiful jewel with potential ecotourism capabilities.