TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE) held on Sunday the first national working group on promoting environmental protection.

Addressing the meeting, Shina Ansari, the head of DOE, said, “The environmental challenges we are facing today are the consequence of our failure to address these issues from cultural and social views,” IRNA reported.

Article 50 of the Constitution regards the protection of the environment as a public duty, emphasizing the rights of current and future generations. However, the role of culture in environmental protection has been ignored. To change the situation, the DOE is planning to further benefit from public participation and promote its role in decision-making processes, she noted.

Referring to modern environmental conservation, the official said the DOE is developing a document for the promotion of environmental protection culture to move from recommendations to implementation, and help related agencies play their role properly.

During the meeting, the participants reviewed and approved the above-mentioned document, the executive instructions for national and provincial working groups to promote environmental protection culture, guidelines for the establishment of environmental houses, as well as an action plan for training the public and developing a culture of sustainable and responsible tourism. 

DOE approves seven community conserved areas

In an effort to strengthen the participation of local communities in conserving nature, the DOE has approved seven natural areas to be protected by the public.

The initiative showcases national determination to conserve the country’s environment, and also opens a new prospect for people’s contribution, and the development of participatory governance in protecting the country’s biodiversity, IRIB quoted Ansari as saying in January.

In the near future, conservation in Iran will be based on participation, science, and accountability.

Biodiversity at all three levels, including genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity, enhances ecosystem resilience.

Biodiversity ensures food security, livelihood, and human health; it enhances ecosystem stability to adapt to bio-based challenges and climate change. Loss of biodiversity, at any level, will bring about a chain of irreparable consequences. Therefore, protecting biodiversity is not a choice, but a strategic necessity, Ansari noted.

A decade of community-based conservation practices has proved that the participation of local and responsible investors will lead to the restoration of wildlife populations and habitats, and that involving communities in conservation programs will also reduce human-wildlife conflict and lower violations.

Moreover, the link between employment and conservation creates a sustainable cycle, as community-conserved areas act as an economic driver.

Developing sustainable employment for local communities, generating income from legal and eco-friendly efforts, including responsible nature tourism, providing conservation services, and directly returning benefits to the conservation process will enable people to become the prominent and most effective conservationists.

In these seven community conserved areas, the land ownership will be maintained, and the government will actively oversee the measures.

MT/MG