Lake Kaftar

Lake Kaftar, also known as Shadkam, is one of the freshwater lakes of Fars Province. It lies in the catchment basin of the Shadkam River, 180 kilometres north of Shiraz in Eqlid County. The lake is of great importance to the natural system as a resource that attracts migratory birds and supports fish farming. Kaftar is regarded as the first stopover for migratory birds in the province. The lake holds about 25 million cubic metres of water. Its maximum width is 4.5 kilometres, and its deepest point reaches 5.3 metres when the lake is full.

Over the past fifteen years, excessive water use and the expansion of agriculture have caused irreparable damage to Kaftar. The droughts of recent years have made matters worse and have left the lake 100 percent dry. Although drought has had a major effect on the drying of wetlands in these years, the lack of planning for the water of wetlands, lakes, springs and rivers, together with dam construction, has completely dried up many of the country's wetlands, and this is especially clear in the case of Lake Kaftar. To solve the lake's problem and bring it back to life, experts and the officials concerned believe the lake must be restored by managing water consumption in agriculture. Otherwise, in the near future Fars Province will face serious dangers, including the advance of the desert. Protecting the lake's buffer zone is one of the highest priorities during drought. In 1387 SH (2008), after a drought that dried up 80 percent of the lake, about 2,000 fish died in it.

When full, Kaftar was a biological bank with a diverse range of animal species, a natural habitat for migratory birds, and a place for raising carp and grass carp. Its many springs and qanats not only created beautiful, scenic landscapes but also provided favourable conditions for rainbow trout farming. Every year the lake hosted many birds, such as the little grebe, the common coot, the greater flamingo, the ferruginous duck, the common pochard, the mallard, the greylag goose, the white-tailed eagle, the grey heron, the white-headed duck, the spoonbill, herons, cormorants, the Eurasian wigeon and a variety of shorebirds.