Shimbar, a mountainous wetland in Khuzestan province

The Shimbar or Shirin Bahar protected area with an area about 53 thousand ha, is located 45 km northeast of Masjed Soleyman, Andica town, and the northern slopes of Shahid Abaspour dam, in the Zagros basin, Irano-Turanian region. Changes in altitude, aspect and slope, microhabitats on the rock cliffs, natural shelters, riparian shrublands with high species richness, and a lake with different seasonal fluctuations have caused the presence of group or solitary living of animals. There are a total of 117 terrestrial vertebrates in the region, of which 64 percent belong to birds, 19 percent to mammals, 14 percent to reptiles and 3 percent to amphibians. This area contains 246 plant species, belonging to 179 genera and 57 families. Most species belong to the Asteraceae with 30, Fabaceae with 23, Lamiaceae with 22, Apiaceae and Caryophyllaceae each with 11 species. The highest percentage of the species belongs to the Irano-Turanian region. Unfortunately, the natural landscape of the area has changed due to some activities such as agriculture, livestock grazing, local uses of species and road construction.