TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE) is updating and completing an existing national document on public participation in environmental protection.

The document involves perspectives, objectives, and governing principles, including transparency and accountability. Once completed, the document will benefit from public participation in all parts, from making decisions to implementing them in the environment sector, ISNA quoted Hadi Kiadaliri, the DOE’s deputy head for public participation, as saying.

To enhance public participation in environmental protection, the department found it essential to focus on training students at schools. So, DOE, in cooperation with the Education Ministry, has launched a project to train eco-friendly practices among students who will be environmental helpers later.  

According to Kiadaliri, a total of 26,000 students from all over the country have participated in the project so far. “If the students are successfully trained and equipped with the needed skills, they will be our best ambassadors in society. Training programs may be costly, but it is worth the price, as these students will train the generations to come,” the official added.

The official stated that a document on promoting the culture of preserving the environment among governmental bodies has already been developed and submitted to them, elaborating on their measures which will later be assessed by the DOE.

He went on to say that measurement of success does not rely on short-term achievements. Focusing on long-term environmental governance will lead to success since it involves change in life style.

On February 8, DOE held 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.

Measures to enhance public participation

The DOE has taken different steps to promote public participation in environmental protection.
Encouraging eco-friendly students, teaching environmental awareness courses in universities, developing a plan titled “skilled ranger soldier”, and preparing guidelines for environmental protection are among the most important measures.

Over the past Iranian year, which ended on March 21, DOE mainly focused on enhancing formal and informal environmental education, developing public participation, utilizing the potential of new technologies, and promoting the culture of environmental protection, IRNA quoted Kiadaliri as saying.

In the education sector, the DOE designed a ‘national environmental curriculum’, and the first scientific-educational event based on a book titled ‘Humans and the Environment’ was held for teachers and eleventh-grade students at the national level. During the event, the provincial and national winners were honored, he stated.

A national plan for environmental helpers is being implemented as of the beginning of the current academic year (September 23, 2025). About 20 percent of the elementary students are health ambassadors. Some 25 percent of them will join the national plan over five years. Currently, there are 11,000 environmental helpers at schools across the country. The plan has also empowered 7,258 elementary school principals and 6,051 elementary school health care providers so far, Kiadaliri noted.

Another initiative of the DOE is to offer environmental courses in all universities in the country. It was previously implemented on a pilot basis in 10 selected universities. In addition, the Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) major for the MA degree has been revised.

The DOE has developed two other plans. The first, titled ‘skilled ranger soldier’, aims to employ students in environmental protection stations, and the second one intends to train and empower local communities with the participation of environmental protection students, the official added.

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