Zagros forest protection plan being implemented

TEHRAN – A plan to protect Zagros forest is being implemented through which nearly 100,000 hectares of the forest will be covered with seedlings, Khalil Aqaei, head of the Forests, Range, and Watershed Management Organization has announced.

Mighan wetland hosts migratory birds once again

TEHRAN – Mighan wetland in central province of Markazi has returned back to life due to above normal rainfall and is now home to flocks of migratory birds which come to spend the winter, Mehr reported on Tuesday.

$47m earmarked for Lake Urmia restoration

TEHRAN – A total budget of 2 trillion rials (nearly $47 million) was approved to be allocated to the Lake Urmia restoration program, government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Wednesday.

By Jamshid Parchizadeh

Persian leopard’s global range

The Persian leopard is classed as “Endangered” on the Red List of the “International Union for Conservation of Nature” with an estimated population size of 871 to 1,290 individuals. It occurs: 1) throughout Iran, 2) southern Turkmenistan, 3) parts of Afghanistan, 4) northwestern and southern Azerbaijan, 5) northeastern Iraq, 6) southwestern Dagestan in the Russian Federation, 7) southern and southwestern Armenia, 8) eastern and southeastern Turkey, 9) eastern and southeastern Georgia, 10) parts of Pakistan, 11) small parts of Tajikistan, and 12) probably small parts of Uzbekistan.

Ecosystem management best way to protect forests: expert

TEHRAN – Ecosystem management is the best way to protect forests, land, water and biological resources, Ahmad Nouhegar, University of Tehran faculty member, has said.

Lake Urmia water level on the rise

TEHRAN – The level of water at Lake Urmia increased by 1.04 centimeters on Tuesday compared to the same day last year, according to the studies conducted by the Lake Urmia conservation program committee.

Tehran joins European Mobility Week campaign

TEHRAN – The Municipality of Tehran has joined the European Mobility Week campaign to enhance sustainable transport policies, ISNA news agency reported.

Flocks of migratory birds came to winter in northern Iran

TEHRAN – The first group of migratory birds landed in northern Mazandaran province to spend the winter, director for the provincial department of environment (DOE) has said.

By Faranak Bakhtiari

World Ozone Day: Iran well rid of ozone-depleting emissions

TEHRAN – Iran has reduced 9,800 tons of ozone-destroying emissions over the past 26 years as part of its commitment to the Montreal Protocol, phasing out the chemical substances responsible for ozone layer depletion while making efforts to cut another 2,000 tons.

Efforts being made to preserve endangered Buxus hyrcana

TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE) and the Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization are taking measures to preserve Buxus hyrcana which are dying owing to pests and diseases, Hamid Zohrabi, deputy DOE chief has announced.

By Faranak Bakhtiari

Will the world’s fastest Asiatic cheetah outrun extinction?

TEHRAN – Although Iran is the only country which can save the precious species from disappearance, conservation projects fall into a single solution of captive-breeding. Cheetah’s captive-breeding is not necessarily an inefficient plan, nonetheless concerns come up from recent unsuccessful projects. Will the endangered beauty surpass its unknown fate and escape extinction?

Anthropogenic fire extinguished in Anzali wetland

TEHRAN – A fire that had been reportedly started by humans in northern Anzali wetland on Friday was successfully put out, ISNA news agency reported. Covering more than 19,000 hectares, Anzali wetland is located near the northern port city of Bandar Anzali, neighboring the Caspian Sea.

Bear cubs shot dead in southwestern Iran

TEHRAN – Two bear cubs were found dead at a landfill site in Dena county, southwestern province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, the provincial department of environment (DOE) chief has announced.

Illegal trade of unique Persian horned viper banned

TEHRAN – Illegal trade of spider-tailed horned viper, a unique species of viper endemic to western Iran, has been banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Hamid Zohrabi, deputy Department of Environment (DOE) chief has announced.

Temperature decline cuts ozone pollution over a month

TEHRAN – Temperature dropped by 1.1 degrees Celsius in Tehran over the Iranian calendar month of Mordad (July 22- August 23) compared to a month earlier, so that ozone pollution is dissipating dramatically, Hossein Shahidzadeh, the caretaker for Air Quality Control Company has said.

Safeguarding our vanishing treasure; National Park of Lake Urmia

TEHRAN – The National Park of Lake Urmia, home to several precious species and amongst 59 biosphere reserve areas, is severely threatened by many years of drought so that it needs to be restored urgently to avoid the extinction of highly adapted species.

Wildfire haunting Arasbaran forest extinguished

TEHRAN – Wildfire burning Arasbaran forest, northwestern Iran, since Monday, has been finally extinguished, head of East Azarbaijan’s department of environment (DOE) has announced.

Caspian seals population shrinking alarmingly

TEHRAN – Caspian seals, the sole marine mammals inhabiting the Caspian Sea, have faced a sharp decline in population over the past three decades, pushing the species towards extinction, Davood Mirshekar, deputy chief of the Department of Environment for marine ecosystems, has stated.

Over 11,000 ha of forests, rangelands burnt in summer

TEHRAN – Raging wildfire burnt 11,254 hectares of forests and rangelands across the country, since the beginning of summer, the commander of the forest protection unit of Forests, Range, and Watershed Management Organization, has said.

By Faranak Bakhtiari

Father of nature: a lifetime dedicated to environmental protection

TEHRAN – Gholam-Ali Beski, physician and environmentalist who dedicated a lifetime protecting the environment and promoting public awareness on climate change, passed away on Wednesday, leaving the nature to the people hoping for tougher measures to preserve the remaining natural resources.

Hamoun wetland restoration plan prepared

TEHRAN – Although rains have drenched Hamoun wetland after two decades of dryness, it is getting dried again due to high evaporation, hence a comprehensive plan for restoration of the wetland has been prepared, ISNA reported on Tuesday.

‘Miankaleh peninsula under serious threats’

TEHRAN – Miankaleh peninsula may not be disappearing, but the lack of fresh water resources makes is highly vulnerable and at risk, Masoud Baqerzadeh Karimi, deputy director for the natural habitat and environment affairs at the Department of Environment has warned.

Environmentally hazardous products to be taxed

TEHRAN – Products which turn into hazardous waste after consumption and lead to environmental degradation will be taxed, the deputy head of the National Tax Administration has said.

On the occasion of Caspian Sea day: waste management atop agenda

TEHRAN - Caspian Sea Day, annually observed by the Caspian Sea states on August 12, will be held in the city of Babolsar on August 15 with a theme of taking steps toward waste management in coastal provinces.

Persian lions at Tehran zoo introduced to live together

TEHRAN – The lion couple kept in captivity at Tehran Zoological Garden for reproduction of the endangered species have been introduced to each other to live together, a veterinarian at Tehran’s Eram Zoo has said.

SDSs haunting southeastern Iran, dozens hospitalized

TEHRAN – Severe sand and dust storms (SDSs) has left 127 patients hospitalized due to respiratory problems in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, head of provincial disaster mitigation and management organization has said.

‘More natural disasters on the way to Iran; think of a solution’

TEHRAN – More natural disasters caused by climate change will occur in Iran which needs to be tackled urgently; so, think of a solution, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP), has said.

Will Iran experience above-normal rainfall during autumn?

TEHRAN – According to the forecasts, El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), is in a neutral phase during autumn, not contributing to a rise in precipitations in the country, especially during autumn and winter, Iman Babaeian, head of the climatological research institute affiliated to Iran’s Meteorological Organization has said.

Rare Baillon's crake spotted in Gandoman wetland

TEHRAN – Rare bird species of Baillon's crake have been spotted for the first time in Gandoman wetland located in the southwestern province of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, said Shahram Ahmadi, the provincial department of environment chief.

4WD car rally called off in support of UNESCO-tagged forest

TEHRAN - The Touring & Automobile Club of the Islamic Republic of Iran (TACI) has canceled its plan for staging a rally of four-wheel-drive cars that opponents believe could inflict harm to environment of the Hyrcanian Forest, which has been recently designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage.