{"id":1697,"date":"2026-07-14T07:36:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T07:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1697"},"modified":"2026-07-14T07:36:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T07:36:48","slug":"war-and-economic-crisis-complicate-efforts-to-protect-irans-rich-but-endangered-wildlife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1697","title":{"rendered":"War and economic crisis complicate efforts to protect Iran\u2019s rich but endangered wildlife"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CAIRO (AP) \u2014 A few days after the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Iran, Reza Kiamarzi decided to trek into the mountains outside his home city of Isfahan in southern Iran. A veterinarian and researcher on birds of prey, his mission was to find nests of endangered falcons high up in the cliffs.<\/p>\n

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The bombardment during the war on Iran<\/span> earlier this year coincided with the breeding season for Iran\u2019s cherished Saker and red-naped Shaheen falcons, some of the fastest flying birds in the world. He knew of two nests near military bases that had been struck, and he wanted to know if the explosions, vibrations and noise affected birds laying eggs or raising chicks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a long climb to the foot of the cliffs. And then we have to rock climb to reach the nests,\u201d Kiamarzi said.<\/p>\n

War and a deepening economic crisis are adding further challenges for conservationists trying to preserve Iran\u2019s rich but endangered wildlife. For years, they have struggled with climate crises<\/span> that threaten the country\u2019s fragile biodiversity, as well as economic pressures from decades of international sanctions.<\/p>\n

Around two and a half times the size of Texas, Iran boasts an astounding diversity of life in its wide range of climates. Northern areas along the Caspian Sea are heavily forested and wet, while the Persian Gulf coast is dry and hot. In between, the country straddles two large mountain ranges: the Zagros and Alborz. Iran lies in a critical corridor and stopover for migratory birds between Eurasia and Africa, lending conservation efforts international importance.<\/p>\n

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At least 86 animal species in the country are at risk of extinction, including the Asiatic cheetah, Persian fallow deer, brown bear, leopard, black bear, Persian onager, the great bustard and various birds of prey, according to a 2024 report by Iran\u2019s Environment Department.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big question how much longer we and other conservation NGOs can keep working. We\u2019re waiting every moment to see what happens,\u201d said Iman Ebrahimi, founder of AvayeBoom, a conservation group based in Isfahan whose name is Persian for \u201cThe Earth\u2019s Cry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The war gave a shock to Iran\u2019s animal life<\/h2>\n

Kiamarzi, the veterinarian, said he succeeded in finding the falcon\u2019s nests, and the birds were still present. But he is still assessing his findings to determine the impact of the bombing on the falcons.<\/p>\n

Smugglers have been the chief cause of declining falcon populations in Iran. Before the war, Iran\u2019s crashing currency \u2014 which has lost over half its value in the past year \u2014 spurred an illicit trade in these prized hunting birds, which are sold to Arab Gulf clients paying in valuable foreign currency, he said.<\/p>\n

Ironically, in peacetime, military zones have been one of the few areas where falcons can breed safely. \u201cIt\u2019s a secure area no one dares get close to, not poachers and smugglers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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U.S.-based Iranian wildlife expert Jamshid Parchizadeh says he fears U.S. and Israeli airstrikes targeting military facilities in desert and mountain sites have harmed habitats critical to endangered cheetahs and other predators.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThese strikes in far-flung places are causing habitat degradation. Definitely this causes water and land pollution, soil contamination, destruction of land cover,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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