National congress on wildlife diseases, conservation to be held

TEHRAN – Tehran will play host to the first national congress on wildlife diseases and conservation which will be held in the Iranian calendar month of Azar (November 22- December 21), Mehr reported on Wednesday.

DOE plans to conserve Lake Urmia islands ecosystem

TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE) will implement four plans on reviving the endangered ecosystem and wildlife of the Lake Urmia islands, Hamid Zohrabi, DOE deputy chief for natural environment and biodiversity directorate, announced.

DOE plans on live capture of cheetahs for conservation

TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE) is preparing a plan on capturing two remaining Asiatic cheetahs alive for conservation and reproduction purposes, Majid Kharrazian-Moqaddam, director of the wildlife conservation and management at the DOE has said.

Camera traps picture Asiatic cheetah, Persian leopards in Semnan

TEHRAN – An Asiatic cheetah and three Persian leopards have been observed through camera traps in Shahrood county in north central Semnan province, Amir Abdous, the provincial department of environment chief, has announced.

By Faranak Bakhtiari

Animals in captivity: Is there such a thing as a good zoo?

TEHRAN – The recent activities of Tehran Zoological Garden have sparked a heated debate between advocates of animal rights and zoo directors, on whether or not zoos endanger wildlife species for their own interests or they have educational and protective objectives.

World Migratory Bird Day: habitat destruction posing threats to the species

TEHRAN — Unsustainable development leading to habitat destruction is one of the major threats to migratory birds, Masoud Hosseini, an official with Iran’s Department of Environment has said.

By Faranak Bakhtiari

Will recently returned Persian lion survive threats once pushed it toward extinction?

TEHRAN – Long-lost Persian lion is back to the country to conserve the rare species by reproduction, the species which once gone extinct due to excessive hunting and habitat loss, so the question arises, will the endangered species survive the threats which once pushed it through eradication?

By Jamshid Parchizadeh

The most important threats to brown bear populations in Iran

Iran is a vast country with an area of 1,623,779 km2 in which there are 164 mammal species including the Asiatic black bear and brown bear. Human-bear conflict is the main reason for the brown bear number reduction and range collapse in this country. In this short article, I summarize the most important threats to brown bear populations in Iran:

150 animals in danger of extinction in Iran

TEHRAN — There are 1,200 species of animals existing in Iran, of which 150 are on the verge of extinction, an official with Iranian Biological Resource Center affiliated to the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR) has said.

By Lachin Rezaian

Success in artificial insemination in Persian leopards may raise hopes for rare big cats: wildlife biologist 

TEHRAN — Mohammad Farhadinia, a post-doctoral research fellow at University of Oxford, said the new move to use artificial insemination to breed Persian leopards could raise hopes for conservation of big cats. 

By S. K. Basu and P. Zandi

Need for insect pollinator conservation to secure future of global agriculture forestry, apiculture industries, food security

Insect pollinators (honeybees, native bees, moths and butterflies, some species of beetles and flies) helping in the natural (biological cross pollination of crops around the globe are showing an alarming sign of population decline.

‘Iran's wildlife population shrinking at alarming rate’

TEHRAN – The country’s wild species population is shrinking at an alarming rate as many of the species are facing a decline being killed in car crashes as a result of road construction in the middle of forests and depletion of their habitats, chief of Alborz province department of environment (DOE) has said.

Leopard in snare escaped certain death, released back to wild

TEHRAN — A leopard caught in snare, in northern city of Galugah in Mazandaran province, was safely released and went back to wild with no lasting harms, Tasnim news agency reported.

By Farnaz Heidari

White-headed ducks victims of steep decline

White-headed duck has endured high levels of habitat loss in Iran. Long-term population declines have intensified as a result of wetlands' changes and also droughts. Iran's dying wetlands were once breeding habitats of white-headed ducks and now are vulnerable to drainage, pollution, and other disturbances.

By Farnaz Heidari

What choices do we have for saving Asiatic cheetahs?

There are recent reports on the successful cheetah translocations from South Africa to Liwonde National Park in Malawi led by African Parks.

By Farnaz Heidari

Threat poachers are posing to leopards

Poaching is a controversial term and the issue remains complicated. Scientists, environmentalists and most of animal lovers are concerned with poaching effects on different wildlife populations. But in a country such as Iran, the big challenge of conservation is linked with reliable data especially in the case of poaching.  

Penned by Farnaz Heidari

A legacy of agricultural poisons

The potentially lethal impact of DDT on wildlife and especially birds of prey was first noted in the late 1950s. And now we know, spraying to control pests can head to poisoning of the environment and living creatures just like humans.

Entry to southwestern protected areas prohibited

TEHRAN — Considering the beginning of wildlife breeding season in Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad province’s protected areas, southwestern Iran, people are banned from entering the region, the provincial chief of the department of environment has said.

More than 5,500 livestock moved out of Asiatic cheetah’s home range in Iran

TEHRAN — Following the “cheetah forever” campaign contributions some 5,536 livestock have been moved out of cheetah home ranges in Touran National Park in the central province of Semnan, campaign spokesman Hamidreza Mirzadeh has said.

by Farnaz Heidari

Detailed action plan prerequisite for conservation of lynxes in Iran

Lynx is the animal that conservationists have distinguished as an indication of an intact environment. Now, some groups of dedicated conservationists are working to save the wild populations in natural ecosystems.

By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

Some tips for green trips

For many, holidays equals traveling. Individuals may prefer to travel to near or far destinations to gain experience, have fun and create some lasting moments in their lives.

Insurance compensates for damages done by leopards

TEHRAN – The damages caused by leopards to 59 individuals bearing losses in 11 provinces have been compensated through insurance, said Ali Teymouri, the Department of Environment’s deputy director for hunting and fishing, Mehr reported.

Kaiser's mountain newt among 25th edition of UN endangered species stamps

TEHRAN — Kaiser's mountain newt, also known as Lorestan mountain newt, was among the 25th edition of the United Nations endangered species stamps unveiled on March 2.

By Farnaz Heidari

Dimming the light of sharks' life

Sharks are hunters par excellence. They frequent a wide range of habitats. Most of sharks are magnificently designed. Multiple rows of replaceable triangular teeth, and also a battery of receptors that almost defy human comprehension, considered as the best tools for a precedent apex predator.

By Farnaz Heidari

Vague, imprecise ecosystem, wildlife management approaches in Iran

In the early 1800s, bird expert Alexander Wilson watched a single migrating flock of passenger pigeons darken the sky for over 4 hours. He estimated that this flock was more than 2 billion birds strong, some 386 kilometers long, and 1.6 kilometers wide.

Roudsar leopard dies in fight with hedgehog

TEHRAN — Persian leopard Arezoo, well-known for being named after her habitat in Roudsar, northern Iran, was found dead apparently after a fight with a hedgehog.

$7.5m earmarked for Golestan National Park

National parks budget raised by threefold

TEHRAN – The budget of Golestan National Park, northern Iran, will rise to 300 billion rials (nearly $7.5 million) in the next Iranian calendar year, starting March 21, 2018.

By Farnaz Heidari

Zoos seen as saviors of endangered animals

Zoos can effectively work together to conserve some of the endangered animals. Zoos have the necessary knowledge and experience in animal care, veterinary medicine, animal behavior, reproductive biology, and genetics to establish captive animal populations of endangered animals.