TEHRAN – Just as war affects people's physical, and mental well-being, and results in many challenges, its impacts on environment is known even to be worse, posing significant risks to wildlife survival.

Any insecurity threat can lead animals to abandon their habitats; just imaging how the loud sound of blasts would trigger them to flee, ILNA quoted, Mohammad-Ali Yektanik, an environmentalist, as saying.

Most of the habitats in Iran are island-like, they are surrounded by human structures like cities, villages, and mines, he added.

Different animal species including rams, ewes, goats, buffalo, leopards, Pallas’s cats, wolves and hyenas, even in protected areas, are now exposed to terrifying sound of explosions which easily disrupt their behaviors andprovoke flight response.

Some would return to their habitats, and places considering their own, but find them occupied by other animals,and get engage in territorial conflicts, Yektanik said.

Sometimes, they happen to enter unsafe places. Being new to an area, they may easily be targeted by hunters. 

Explosions can also greatly impact the environmental areas posing significant risks to animals by disrupting the natural hydrological system of the earth, leading to material leaks, or even widespread fires, he further noted.

DOE slams Israeli attacks as ‘deliberate creation of environmental crises’

The Department of Environment (DOE) has strongly condemned the recent attacks by the Zionist regime on fossil fuel storage facilities as deliberate creation of environmental crises and a clear violation of international principles and commitments to environmental protection.

The attacks on fossil fuel storage facilities and other destructive explosive actions have caused widespread pollution and environmental degradation, the DOE said in a statement.

These irresponsible actions, in addition to directly threatening public health and regional ecosystems, have led to the release of toxic substances and pollutants that will have long-term impacts on air quality, water resources, and natural habitats. 

The deliberate creation of environmental crises is a clear violation of international principles and commitments to environmental protection. 

The attack on energy infrastructure and the release of toxic pollutants pose a serious threat to regional biosecurity. 

These acts of destruction occur at a time when countries in the region are striving to adhere to global treaties, including United Nations environmental agreements and conventions related to pollution control. 

The Department of Environment of the Islamic Republic of Iran calls on the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and other regional and global environmental organizations to pay special attention to this environmental crisis and take necessary actions to stop the destruction and prevent the continuation of such environmental disasters. 

At a time when climate change and environmental crises are common challenges facing humanity in this century, deliberate environmental destruction and the spread of pollution resulting from military attacks must be met with a serious response from the global community. 

We call for a clear condemnation of these actions by international organizations, legal follow-up in international forums, and pressure on those responsible for this destruction to prevent the continued devastation of the region’s ecosystem. 

The Department of Environment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as the responsible body for environmental protection in the country, is committed to cooperating with global organizations to address these threats and announces its readiness to provide documentation and scientific evidence in this regard.

MT/MG