| The Islamic Republic of Iran | ||||||||||||||||
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| Location | The Middle East | |||||||||||||||
| National websites | Salam Iran | |||||||||||||||
| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | Iranian Interests Section 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007 | |||||||||||||||
| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | Department of Environment P.O. Box 15875 I.R. Iran, Tel 9821-890-3720 | |||||||||||||||
| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | ||||||||||||||||
| Major Natural Resources | Iran's major mineral resources are coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, and sulfur. Iran is a major producer of natural gas and petroleum. | |||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | There is air pollution in Iran, especially in urban areas, due to vehicle emissions. Refinery operations and industrial waste also deposit large amouts of chemicals and particle matter into the environment. Deforestation, overgrazing and desertification all contribute to the destruction of plant and animal habitats on the land. Oil pollution, in the form of spills or run off, makes its way into the Persian Gulf, disturbing the plants and animals that live within it. Due to this kind of pollution, Iran has inadequate supplies of potable water. In addition to man made problems, Iran experiences periodic droughts, floods, dust storms, sandstorms, earthquakes along western border and in the northeast. | |||||||||||||||
| Statistics | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Land area | 1,636,000 Sq. km | Salam Iran | ||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 11,400,000 ha | Sustainable Development | ||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | 1,357,150 ha | Nearctica | ||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | 12,000 Sq. km | Salam Iran | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 67,540,002 | Salam Iran | ||||||||||||||
| Population Density | 41.28/Sq. km | Salam Iran | ||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels | 8,299,566 ha | World Conservation Monitering Centre | ||||||||||||||
| Fraction of land area protected (%) | 5.04% | World Conservation Monitering Centre | ||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas |
Arasbaran Protected Area, Arjan Protected Area, Geno Protected Area, Golestan National Park Iran, Hara Protected Area, Kavir National Park, Lake Oromeeh National Park, Miankaleh Protected Area and the Touran Protected Area
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List from Information Center for the Environment | ||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
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| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | ||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | ||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix I | CITES-listed Species Database | |||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix II | CITES-listed Species Database | |||||||||||||||
| Legislation | ||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | the Fair Water Distribution Act (1983) the Act of the Establishment of Water and Wastewater Companies the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (1974) the Prevention of Water Pollution Regulation (1994) the Qabat and Well Excavation Regulation (1984) | |||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | ||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | 8/3/76 | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | 2/2/71 | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | 8/6/96 | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | ||||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | Not a Member | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation | |||||||||||||||
| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf | Cyber Iran | ||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | commercial production of oak, beech, maple, Siberian elm, ash, walnut, ironwood, alder, basswood, and fig | Cyber Iran | ||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | tours of landscape and wildlife safari | Info Hub | ||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | Caviar | Cyber Iran | ||||||||||||||
| Hunting | Red Sheep,Persian Ibex,Urial Sheep, Isphahan Sheep and wild Boar | Info Hub | ||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur | CIA Publications | ||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | CO levels very high in Tehran | Air Quality Control Company | ||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | Oil pollution in the Persian Gulf | Mother Jones | ||||||||||||||
| Development activities | Oil Mining | EIA | ||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | ||||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | ||||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | ||||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | ||||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Kyle Lothringer as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA