Legal Status of the Bed of Lake Urmia after Drying Up

Lake Urmia drying up may pose hazardous environmental and socio-economic impacts on the northwestern of Iran and change basically the legal nature of this lake as a wetland and national park. Examining the new legal status of dried Lake Urmia in terms of government’s responsibility to protect the local people and environment against the impacts of this disaster is necessary to prevent more vulnerability against these impacts and to protect the lakebed and its coastal zones. Based on legal analytical pathological method, this article investigates how Lake Urmia drought changes its legal nature and how to protect the local people and environment against the impacts of this disaster. With regard to the legal lacuna in management of drought circumstances, the legal system should take the best available urgent strategies to control and mitigate the impacts of this disaster, to avoid worsening humanitarian and environmental conditions in this region and to enhance local adaptation and to protect the lakebed and its coastal zones.