TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE), in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), has conducted studies on the impact of sand and dust storms (SDSs) on the country’s biodiversity.

The studies have been carried out in Shahroud and Mehriz protected areas in Semnan and Yazd provinces, respectively, IRNA reported.

Dust storms are significant environmental challenges that adversely affect food security, human health, and the sustainable development process at national and regional levels.

Being located in an arid and semi-arid area, Iran has been negatively impacted by climate change. The rise in temperatures, drop in precipitation, intensified droughts, and frequent SDSs have not only threatened the ecosystem and biodiversity but also jeopardized the country’s food security by exacerbating soil erosion, expanding desertification, and declining agricultural productivity.

The 30-month initiative aims to mitigate the impact of SDSs through enhancing environmental sustainability, climatic resilience, and public participation, which will help strengthen cooperation and attract financial assistance from the international community.

The scientific project also intends to identify dust hotspots, biodiversity, and the effects on local communities and their livelihoods, and offer proposals for policy making based on the findings.

Protected areas in Semnan province stretch to 2.3 million hectares, out of which some 15 to 20 thousand hectares of natural areas are under the DOE’s supervision.

Turan Protected Area stands as the second-largest biosphere reserve in the world, surpassed only by the Serengeti in Tanzania. Spanning 1,470,640 hectares, it is also the second-largest protected area in Iran, after the Naybandan Wildlife Refuge in Tabas.

Being the only breeding habitat of the critically endangered Persian cheetah in the world, Touran protected area, in the east of Semnan province, is of great importance.

The animal is listed as one of the most critically endangered big cats in the world, so saving the Asiatic cheetah from extinction has turned into a shared responsibility.

According to the last report by the DOE, the total number of Asiatic cheetahs in the country’s protected areas amounts to 27, with five other cheetahs living in breeding sites, and six in captivity.

Comprehensive plan for combating SDSs

In August 2025, the national specialized working group on sand and dust storms (SDSs), in cooperation with other governmental bodies, approved a comprehensive plan to address SDSs, which will be used as a national reference document to enhance the country’s resilience against one of the most acute environmental threats.

At the 29th meeting of the national specialized working group on SDSs management, the 150-page comprehensive plan was developed with cross-sectoral collaboration of 15 executive agencies and government bodies, including the DOE, the ministries of agriculture, health, energy, and transport, as well as the Natural Resources Organization, Crisis Management Organization, and Meteorological Organization, IRNA reported.

The plan involves ten key strategies, hundreds of specific actions, performance indicators, an implementation timeline, and institutional labor division among responsible agencies.

In July 2025, President Masoud Pezeshkian issued an order calling for the establishment of a specialized working group to address SDSs, which have turned into a significant public health concern in the country.

In this line, the DOE presented a report on the hazards of SDSs as a comprehensive and growing threat, and enumerated the national plans and strategies to mitigate the impacts of SDSs, IRNA reported.

Highlighting the significance of preserving the environment, as a critical issue of the country, the president ordered the establishment of a working group, consisting of experts, academics, representatives of ministries and executive agencies, to prepare and implement operational plans to combat the dust phenomenon, drawing on successful international experiences.

Dust storms are major environmental challenges that adversely impact food security, human health, and the sustainable development process at national and regional levels.

Kunming Biodiversity Fund to support Iran

The Kunming Biodiversity Fund (KBF) in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has allocated financial resources to Iran to help the country mitigate sand and dust storms’ (SDSs) impacts.

According to the secretary of the national policymaking headquarters for dealing with SDSs, Behzad Rayegani, it is for the first time that the KBF has approved a project, proposed by the national headquarters, to manage SDSs, doe.ir reported.

The initiative is part of the ‘environmental diplomacy and regional cooperation in combating dust’ within the framework of the comprehensive dust combating program under the seventh National Development Plan (2023-2027), which has been developed in close collaboration with the UNDP country and regional offices, Rayegani noted.

Iran’s proposal represents the first example of a multifaceted approach to sandstorm control at the international level with a focus on protecting both plant and animal biodiversity, the official said.

This project includes three key areas: enhancing institutional and technical capacities to protect biodiversity in areas affected by dust; developing and implementing innovative measures to protect plant and animal species in sensitive ecosystems; and raising public and specialist awareness about the link between dust, ecosystem health, and biodiversity, he further noted.

The national headquarters for dealing with SDSs will use the funding to connect plans for combating SDSs and enhancing resilience against SDSs at the regional and global levels.

This achievement is an effective step towards realizing resilient land and biodiversity protection against dust, the official added.
In 2024, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and China launched the KBF, which provides financial and technical support to developing countries for the implementation of the biodiversity plan.

Since then, the KBF has been rapidly developing as a full-fledged fund. The Fund aims to support countries to accelerate the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (the KMGBF).

The Fund prioritizes implementing a whole-of-society approach to address nature and biodiversity loss, improving polices for biodiversity across all national and subnational levels, strengthening capacities and cooperation, and mobilizing additional resources.

MT/MG