The 4th Yahya Prize ceremony took place at Tejarat Bank’s Ceremony Hall in Tehran, on the evening of December 14, 2017. This year the Award honored three rangers: 1) Gholamreza Mohammadzadeh from Siahmazgi Protected Area, Gilan Province; 2) Mohsen Dalir from Binalud Protected Area, Razavi Khorasan Province; and 3) Modasser Teymouri from Sadeh Protected Area, Razavi Khorasan Province. The winners received their prizes from the Award committee, which had selected the honored rangers through an intensive three-month effort. Additionally, the Award acknowledged the family of an Iranian ranger who was killed by opium smugglers in Yazd Province in November 2017.
Established by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) in 2014 through a generous donation by an Iranian artist couple, Mojtaba Ramzi and Paridokht Moshkzad, the Yahya Prize recognizes Iranian rangers who have done outstanding efforts to protect Iran’s wildlife and natural environment. The 2017 Yahya Prize ceremony was held in collaboration with Tejarat Bank, Iran Environment and Wildlife Watch, University of Environment, Dehati Dairy, Ahuan Tour & Travel Agency, Saman Golriz, and Paazan Quarterly Magazine. Delegates from the Iranian Department of Environment and several Iranian NGOs and individual environmentalists and nature lovers attended the event.
