Since 1997, when the German police seized Cyprus religious treasures from the house of a Turkish official, these items are still the subject of major discussions and reports.  The German newspaper Abendzeitung Munich reported in Dec 2012 that the Turkish official Aydin Dikman, in question, in fact is claiming the treasures as a part of his wife’s dowry and has even asked for financial compensation. Many Cyprus religious treasures have been reported to have been stolen during and after the 1974 invasion and several people and organizations are working to create reports listing these stolen items.

The most recent report (http://climatechange.ir/tags/Urmia.html) shows that Lake Urmia is still in major danger of further shrinkage and drying up like the Aral Sea.  Lake Urmia is a salt lake in Northwestern Iran which was recognized and declared an internationally significant Wetland by the Ramsar Convention in 1971 and designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1976 (http://na.unep.net/geas/getUNEPPageWithArticleIDScript.php?article_id=79).  The lake is ecologically very significant as it is home to a unique shrimp species, Artemia urmiana, and (and along with surrounding areas) supports many species of reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

It is estimated that since 1995 (when the surface area was 6100 km²), the lake has considerably reduced in size and the satellite images (NASA satellite images) taken in August 2011 showed that the lake’s area had shrunken to about 2,366 km².  The report titled (and published online in Feb 2012) “The Drying of Iran’s Lake Urmia and its Environmental Consequences” by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) website outlined several causes, and listed studies looking at impacts and consequences.