A Partnership to Promote Nature's Resources
January 28, 1998 - 0:0
TEHRAN In this world there is such a thing as a web of life says a leading nature conservationist yesterday. Mr. Peter Jackson, talking to the Tehran Times, said that preserving certain species of animals that are on the brink of extinction is crucial in order to maintain the world's ecological system or web of life. Jackson is Chairman of the Cat Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) based in Switzerland, which serves as a forum for member states, agencies and non-governmental organizations, both domestic and international, to express views, share expertise and coordinate plans and programs for the protection and conservation of nature.
The emphasis of IUCN's work is on partnership...between governments and environmental organizationswhether to develop a conservation strategy, to test a new idea through a field project or to build local and regional capacity, the mission of the IUCN states. In pursuit of a more effective implementation of strategy, the IUCN is divided into various specialist groups among which is the Cat Specialist Group. Asked to elaborate on the state of wildlife here in Iran Jackson said: There are 36 different kinds of cats in the world, seven of which may be found in Irancheetahs, tigers and leopardsfound in very small numbers.
The lion, he said, is no more to be found in this country. On the problems of nature conservation in Iran, he said their main concern here is that people love to hunt. Giving details, he said the lack of manpower and equipment because of financial limitations is also another problem. Fortunately, he said, hunters and poachers here are not after the skin of precious wild animals or the bones of tigers which are in demand in many countries for their medicinal value.
On the importance of cats, he said: They, just like other animals, contribute to the'' web of life "by killing other animals for food which in turn depend on other forms of life for sustenance and thus maintain their suitable numbers." The IUCN was founded in 1948 and is one of the very few international organizations where both government and non-governmental bodies can join in efforts to conserve nature's precious resources.
Jackson, a father of 4, lives in England and is a fellow of the Zoological Society of London and a member of the British Ornithologists' Union. He spent 20 years of his life mostly in India as a correspondent for Reuters news agency where he developed a love for nature conservation.
The emphasis of IUCN's work is on partnership...between governments and environmental organizationswhether to develop a conservation strategy, to test a new idea through a field project or to build local and regional capacity, the mission of the IUCN states. In pursuit of a more effective implementation of strategy, the IUCN is divided into various specialist groups among which is the Cat Specialist Group. Asked to elaborate on the state of wildlife here in Iran Jackson said: There are 36 different kinds of cats in the world, seven of which may be found in Irancheetahs, tigers and leopardsfound in very small numbers.
The lion, he said, is no more to be found in this country. On the problems of nature conservation in Iran, he said their main concern here is that people love to hunt. Giving details, he said the lack of manpower and equipment because of financial limitations is also another problem. Fortunately, he said, hunters and poachers here are not after the skin of precious wild animals or the bones of tigers which are in demand in many countries for their medicinal value.
On the importance of cats, he said: They, just like other animals, contribute to the'' web of life "by killing other animals for food which in turn depend on other forms of life for sustenance and thus maintain their suitable numbers." The IUCN was founded in 1948 and is one of the very few international organizations where both government and non-governmental bodies can join in efforts to conserve nature's precious resources.
Jackson, a father of 4, lives in England and is a fellow of the Zoological Society of London and a member of the British Ornithologists' Union. He spent 20 years of his life mostly in India as a correspondent for Reuters news agency where he developed a love for nature conservation.