In Tehran, Hamid Zohrabi, Deputy Head of the Department of Environment (DOE), and Vivek Menon, Chairman of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in developing management and conservation programs for endangered species.
The meeting took place during the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was held in Armenia from October 19 to 30, according to IRNA. The head of the IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia also participated in the session.
The main focus of the negotiations was on conservation and restoration programs for the Asiatic cheetah, the great bustard, and the Persian zebra, as well as their natural habitats, and the issue of reintroducing the Persian red deer into its natural ranges. The parties also discussed the need to enhance technical and scientific interaction and provide funding amid sanctions.
Menon expressed hope that the current interaction between IUCN staff and Iranian specialists will ensure the survival of species such as the Asiatic cheetah in Iran.
COP17 is being held under the Convention on Biological Diversity concurrently with the Twelfth Meeting of the Parties to the Carpathian Protocol on Biosafety (CP-MOP-12) and the Sixth Meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (NP-MOP-6). These two-week negotiations are conducted in two stages: first technical discussions, followed by a ministerial segment.
The leadership summit took place on October 16, during which President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke. This marked the first time the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran attended the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Speaking at the summit, Pezeshkian called for 'peace diplomacy' to protect biodiversity, condemning the destructive impact of aggressive wars on the environment as ecocide, and strongly urged the international community to create effective, transparent, and enforceable mechanisms to protect natural heritage during military actions.
According to the latest IUCN Red List report, the country has about 154 threatened vertebrate species and approximately 25 percent of plant species, with 117 species classified as critically endangered in the national list. Among the animals facing extinction are the Persian zebra, Asiatic cheetah, black bear, great bustard, and yellow deer. Among extinct animals, the Girghan tiger and the Persian lion are two feline species that have permanently disappeared from the country. Fortunately, the Persian zebra and the Persian yellow deer serve as examples of successful conservation efforts, where scientific measures and local community involvement led to the recovery of these species.
DOE is working on creating a genetic map of endangered wild species to increase their chances of survival, develop breeding plans, manage populations, and address the challenges they face in their natural habitats. Effective conservation of endangered species is practically impossible without an accurate understanding of population genetics. In this regard, genetic and molecular studies of key wild species in the country were included in the agenda, ensuring that management decisions are based on accurate scientific data, reported Leila Ezzeddindulu, head of the National Museum of Natural History and Genetic Resources, citing IRNA.
She added that the main goals of these studies include preserving genetic diversity within and between populations, preventing the decline of effective population size, avoiding inbreeding and genetic erosion, conserving genes adapted to different environmental conditions, and providing genetic resources for species restoration, breeding, and reintroduction programs.
Referring to three research agreements signed between DOE, the College of Agricultural and Natural Resources at Tehran University, and the University of Gorgan, an official representative noted that the cooperation includes a project to study the genomic diversity and phylogeny of the Levant viper and the Latifi viper, using conservation and therapeutic approaches based on genomic markers.
Furthermore, the creation of genetic profiles and maps for the Asiatic cheetah, black bear, and Persian yellow deer as key and endangered species has begun. Another part of the agreements focuses on assessing genetic diversity, inbreeding, and kinship in the Persian zebra population, which is being conducted in collaboration with the provincial department of DOE in Yazd province. This step plays a key role in managing small populations and preventing the loss of genetic diversity, she emphasized.