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pourmir

pourmir

Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Program

Livestock removed from a 5,600+ hectares area to make it a secure home for Asiatic Cheetah

by pourmir March 17, 2021
written by pourmir 3 minutes read

Conservation is a complicated field that could differ with different situations and the target species. These complication gets higher when the local people and their interests are involved in a project. One of the biggest enigmas for conservationists is creating a win-win situation. Therefore, they always need to assess the situation and use the previous experiences with an open mind.

Iran is home to the last wild population of Asiatic Cheetahs in the world. Two areas have always been of importance; Miandasht Wildlife Refuge and Touran Biosphere Reserve. Due to ICS investigations, it is clear that grazing rights are an endangerment for cheetahs in these areas. With the help of the Netherlands’ IUCN National Committee, we were looking for an appropriate and efficient solution for reducing the overgrazing pressure of livestock in the cheetah’s habitat. The initial idea was to relocate herders outside the national park to secure critical seasons (i.e., winter and spring) for the cheetah and decreasing livestock overgrazing pressure on the area’s fragile rangelands to provide resources for wild ungulates.

Asiatic Cheetah in Touran Biosphere Reserve

Asiatic Cheetah in Touran Biosphere Reserve

As the project furthered, we found out that the livestock grazing permission prices have doubled up. This made the available budget insufficient. Thus, the negotiations for buying all the available permits didn’t work out at the moment. Hence, the ICS came to an agreement with the DoE of Semnan province so they would pay for the rest of the budget.

The failure in providing the needed budget until 2017, reduction of Rial value, and increasing inflation made the ICS change the project location. After contacting other provinces’ Departments of Environment that host Cheetah and coordinating with the Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) and the DoE of North Khorasan request, ICS finally relocated this project to this province. Again, the process of buying the grazing permits in the Miandasht Wildlife Reserve started, but because of the government budget allocation, the prices raised again, and once more, the project came to a stop.

In 2018 and after management changes in Semnan province, ICS reconsidered the Touran National Park for the project again. Finally, the negotiations with one of the stock owners were going according to the plans, and even the budget was enough this time. Still, unfortunately, because of the official technicalities, the project remained unfinished.
In 2020 the ICS and DoE both separately started corresponding with the Department of Forests and Rangelands and the Iranian parliament to discuss law enforcement’s absence, which never happened because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the ICS tried to maintain the agreement with the stock owner. Due to the one-year pause between the agreement, the price of grazing permits doubled again; we feared we would not be able to finalize the deal.
But we succeeded! We finalized our agreement with one of the most important permission owners in Touran Biosphere Reserve. With the revocation of the exploitation permit in the northern edge of Touran National Park, an area of 5,600 hectares will be permanently empty of livestock. This permit has covered 498 livestock.

Panorama view Touran Biosphere Reserve

Panorama view of the purchased pasture

coral in pasture, Asiatic Cheetah habitat

Panorama view coral in the purchased pasture

Although this project was postponed due to unforeseen events, it brought us the same amount of lessons learned and ultimately ended in an impressive end.” We would like to thank Netherlands’ IUCN National Committee Land Acquisition Program for their commitment to make this a success. Because of our joint efforts, an important area has been secured for the next generation of Asiatic Cheetah in one of the key reserves.

Touran Map

Map of pasture in Touran

March 17, 2021 0 comments
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Asiatic Cheetah in Touran Biosphere Reserve
Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring Program

End of Annual “Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring Program”

by pourmir February 20, 2021
written by pourmir 1 minutes read

Miandasht Wildlife Refuge and Touran Biosphere Reserve were the only remaining reproductive Asiatic Cheetah habitats in Iran.
Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, with 84 thousand hectares, was one of the first areas that the Iranian Cheetah Society started working on for conserving the cheetah population. However, it’s been two years since there have been any records of cheetah reproduction there.
Unlike Miandasht, Touran Biosphere Reserve with 1.5 million hectares is the only remaining area with records of cheetah reproduction nowadays, so it is crucial for conserving the only Asiatic Cheetah habitat in the world.
Therefore, the Iranian Cheetah Society started their new project in September of 2020 to include Touran beside Miandasht in the surveys and camera trap to find new individuals. However, we couldn’t do the camera trappings in Touran ourselves because of the official technicalities, so we only gave our council and taught the rangers how to use and install the camera traps.
In both areas, camera traps worked for four months until the start of 2021 that livestock moved to the areas’ edges. So, we had to remove and relocate them near the core.
Unfortunately, the results don’t show any cheetah recorded in Miandasht, which is very concerning, but there have been some cheetah records in Touran, which we are now analyzing and identifying.
Here you can see some of the photos that have been captured by the camera traps in Touran. Hope you will enjoy them.

 

February 20, 2021 0 comments
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Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring Program

Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring of Miandasht Wildlife Refuge

by pourmir February 1, 2021
written by pourmir 1 minutes read

The camera traps installed at the North Khorasan Province, Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, have been collected after four months of operating in September 2020. Our team established cameras in collaboration with North Khorasan’s DOE and the refuge’s rangers. They reconfirm the high biodiversity of the region, same as in recent years. This biodiversity owes to the rangers’ conservation and patrolling constantly.
Unfortunately, any image of the Asiatic Cheetah was not recorded during this period. The entry of livestock out of The Zamen Aho National Park borders at the beginning of Winter makes it impossible to use camera traps in the refuge. Therefore, to make sure, more cameras installed in the Zamen Aho National Park’s important zones, which is located in the middle of the refuge, to record any possible entrance of the cheetahs in the area and the national park.

Hopefully, the images of cheetah cubs have been recorded in The Turan’s biosphere reserve during the past few months. Also, several reports of seeing cheetahs at the Turan – Miandasht corridor raises our hopes of this unique species’ existence in the Miandasht.

To make these hope real, we have to take serious conservation steps to improve habitats’ conditions to enter cheetahs and save them. Removing feral and hybrid dogs, equipping rangers, making the troughs inaccessible for domestic animals, etc., needs urgent action. Besides other conserving efforts, all these mentioned steps could be possible and achievable with Department of Environment administrations’ collaboration, non-governmental organizations.
Our cameras recorded the following picture during this year in Miadasht Wildlife Refuge. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Gray Wolf
Wildcat
Wildcat Family
Fox
Gazelle
Gazelle
Eagles
Eagle and Gazelle
February 1, 2021 0 comments
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Explorers of Hope

Observation of two Asiatic Cheetahs on the side of Tehran-Mashhad road

by pourmir January 14, 2021
written by pourmir 0 minutes read

In recent days two Asiatic cheetahs have been seen on the side of the Tehran-Mashhad road, around the Abbas Abad area.
Although seeing them is gratifying their nearness to the road is a great alarm.
It is possible that these two cheetahs wanted to cross the road, and in the absence of fences and high-speed vehicles, this could have caused an accident.
The experts of the Iranian Cheetah Society have visited this area and the rangers are patrolling to make sure of these two cheetahs’ safety.

https://hope.wildlife.ir/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/WhatsApp-Video-2021-06-13-at-17.17.02.mp4
January 14, 2021 0 comments
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ICS News

Iranian Cheetah Society in 2020

by pourmir January 6, 2021
written by pourmir 1 minutes read

The Year 2020 is one of the most challenging year for all of us together. The pandemic is a real tragedy that no one has such experience in his/her entire life. It doesn’t matter where we live or work, COVID-19 has affected our lives in a way that no one could ever imagine. Everyone has to find the best way to go further according to their plans, but meanwhile, guarantee the health and security of their families, friends, and colleagues.

[irp posts=”22855″ name=”Download 2019-2020 Biannual Report”]

At ICS, we were not just fighting against pandemic problems but also facing countless impacts of international sanctions against the country. To be sure, only the complexity of these two constraints can be frustrating to any NGOs around the world, let alone other constraints. However, to be grateful to our partners and donors, we made a remarkable year beyond these challenging situations. We were able to not only keep going on our processes but also, expanding the range of our conservation projects to save last Asiatic Cheetahs.

We are so delighted and honored with our teamwork efforts which have done during the pandemic and also we are looking forward to starting an efficient and progressive year ahead. Thanks for supporting and following us in 2020. Please kindly donate, spread the word, and stay tuned for great news in 2021.

January 6, 2021 0 comments
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Water for Cheetahs Project

Facing Climate Change: Transforming Threats to Opportunities

by pourmir December 7, 2020
written by pourmir 1 minutes read

Since 2014, ICS launched the “Water for Cheetahs” program to tackle climate change impacts on Asiatic Cheetah habitats.
During these years, we hired a person to supply water for throughs in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge. Camel-proofing and maintenance throughs were other initiatives by ICS to fight the drought.
We know local people’s knowledge as a valuable source to enhance conservation efforts. Conservationists who seek local solutions made the most notable impact in preserving biodiversity and landscapes.
Considering this fact, we constructed 12 dams in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge during 2019. These dams intended to control seasonal floods and keep freshwater for months after winter. This water not only can be used by wildlife directly but also will strengthen vegetation behind the dam. Meanwhile, controlling floods will decrease erosion. Locals currently use this method to grow more vegetation for their livestock.
Starting the Fall, we noticed that most of these dams need maintenance to keep them working during Fall and Winter. Therefore, ICS hired a wheel loader to repair all previously constructed dams plus three dams built by locals in the past.
Meanwhile, 30Km of dirt road inside the Refuge is leveled by the loader.
This project has been funded by Stichting SPOTS, our partner in the Netherlands.

 

December 7, 2020 0 comments
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Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Program

Creating a Livestock-Free Wildlife Refuge to Safeguard the Critically Endangered Asiatic Cheetah

by pourmir December 6, 2020
written by pourmir 1 minutes read

The project “Securing Touran National Park for Asiatic Cheetahs” was officially funded by IUCN NL Land Acquisition Program in August 2014. The initial goal was to lease ca. 516 km2 of Turan National Park from grazing permit owners and securing critical seasons (i.e., winter and spring) for the Asiatic Cheetah and its prey species. The project started positively but experienced a series of unfortunate setbacks along the way, which has protracted the project for years.

Ultimately, an amendment was signed by ICS and IUCN NL to authorize the relocation of the project in 2017. This relocation was supposed to help ICS focusing on work rather than corruption and conflicts. Based on the amendment, the project title officially changed to “Creating a Livestock-Free Wildlife Refuge to Safeguard the Critically Endangered Asiatic Cheetah in Northern Iran.” This project is still ongoing in ICS, which is prioritized in the yearly work plan.

Asiatic Cheetah and Dogs

Asiatic Cheetah and Dogs in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge

This year, IUCN NL celebrates the 20th anniversary of the IUCN NL land acquisition fund, which allowed over 100 NGOs to protect and connect the – often fragmented – habitats of endangered species. Stories of these local partners and their conservation efforts are presented in an extensive anniversary report. ICS has also shared its experiences during this complex project in the anniversary report.

You can download the “Anniversary report: two decades of land acquisition for conservation” from the box below.

Icon
TWO DECADES OF LAND ACQUISITION FOR CONSERVATION
Download Report
108 downloads0

 

Further reading:

Learn more about Land Acquisition Fund on the IUCN NL website

Read more about the 20th Anniversary report of land acquisition for conservation 

.

December 6, 2020 0 comments
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ICS in News

Asiatic Cheetahs in Danger

by pourmir November 25, 2020
written by pourmir 3 minutes read

Did you ever hear of Asiatic cheetahs? Most people don’t because they connect the majestic predators with the African continent. Pretty much every content online about cheetahs is about African cheetahs. So, less is known about them having some kind of “cousins” in Asia. That’s why we reached out to the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) to learn more about these special animals.

Some interesting differences

“There is no apparent difference in their morphology”, Morteza Pourmirzai, CEO of the ICS, explains. “They were separated for many years, and there are some differences in their ecology. You may know African Cheetahs as the runners in the vast planes. Still, Asiatic cheetahs are generally found in hilly areas next to mountains.” So, they don’t fit in the picture many people have got in their heads when they think about cheetahs. That’s why they are so fascinating.

That’s an interesting adaption of the cheetahs because the hunting strategy in the planes increases their survival difficulties in Africa. The Asiatic cheetahs are not a different subspecies, as Mr. Pourmirzai explains, but they are special and important as well. “Like any other carnivore, they are at the top of the food chain and indicate ecosystem balance and health. They are a piece of life puzzle that should be saved to save a life in Iranian deserts. On the other hand, they are a symbol to Iranian people; as you may have seen, it’s a sketch on our national football team jersey.”

Look into the future

So, how to save these majestic animals that are so important for both, the ecosystem and the people living there? “We focus on In-situ conservation”, ICS’s CEO, Morteza Pourmirzai, describes. “Since 2001, we help the government to promote conservation in the Cheetah’s habitats. Hiring rangers, enhancements of troughs, providing equipment, repairing cars, motorbikes, and raising awareness are some activities we conduct in the protected areas. However, the most crucial project in ICS is to monitor the Cheetahs population across the country. For more than nine years, we have installed camera traps in a nationwide scheme to estimate their population. We have the highest number of camera-traps in the country. So, we are the only organization that can work on this scale.”

But it doesn’t end with work in situ: “We also provide consultation to the Department of Environment on Ex-situ conservation. In partnership with Ashia in South Africa, we were able to facilitate the Captive breeding in Iran. Hopefully, we can see the first captive breed cheetahs in Iran in 2021.” Unfortunately, there are also problems ahead. “We will face genetic problems since the project has started with a few numbers of individuals. Additionally, large areas should be fenced to ensure that cubs will have the chance to learn how to hunt safely.”

Zoos can and do help

The ICS will celebrate its 20th anniversary of foundation in 2021. “Through these years, we have faced numerous problems in fundraising due to US sanctions against the country. We are not allowed to have PayPal or any other bank account outside the country. Zoos have funded most of our projects during these years. They had a notable impact on our conservation programs. Columbus Zoo in the USA, AFdPZ, and Parc des Feline in France, Gaya Zoo in the Netherlands are some of the most notable donors to our projects. Thanks to these zoos, we can still go forward in saving this precious and unique species.”

As you can see, even before the world really knows about these amazing group of cheetahs, while most people still think that cheetahs only live in the African savannahs, modern zoos are already there to help and give support to these animals in need. It will be a hard marathon to give a future to the Asiatic cheetahs and enable them to escape extinction but zoos together with passionate conservationists are determined to make it happen once again after they already saved many species thanks to the strong combination of projects in situ and ex-situ.

November 25, 2020 0 comments
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cheetah roadkill
Explorers of Hope

New threat for the Asiatic Cheetah habitat +UPDATE

by pourmir September 26, 2020
written by pourmir 2 minutes read

The Asiatic Cheetah is a species with continuous movement. According to ICS’s data recorded throughout the 3 phases of the Population Monitoring Program, this animal can move over 200 kilometers in just a few months. Therefore safe corridors are of high importance in conserving this species. A significant portion of cheetah mortality also occurs in these areas.

The ICS is trying to observe the presence of cheetahs in these habitats through the “Explorers of Hope” Project. Based on habitat suitability modelings, these habitats are of high desirability and importance for the species or have recorded cheetah signs in them.
One of those areas is located in the province of South-Khorasan. A critical and the only corridor for the movement of the species from Naybandan wildlife refuge towards Semnan and Razavi-Khorasan provinces.

Received information claim that the South-Khorasan Department of Roads and Urban Development is planning to construct a new road in this area, connecting Bajestan to Boshruyeh. The department has also announced that the project is awaiting the permission of the Department of Environment.

According to the Iranian Environment and Wildlife Watch news agency, the South-Khorasan DoE has sent the plan to the office of Habitats and Protected Area Affairs in the central Department of Environment for confirmation. Concerning the importance of the issue, the ICS has sent a letter to this office regarding the potential threat that developing this road will make to the extremely endangered species of Asiatic Cheetah. We hope this department will strictly reject this plan; otherwise, the only possible connection point between southern and northern habitats would be disconnected by a 4-laned Road. We will stand against this project to make sure it will be canceled.

 

Maps reference:

Ahmadi, Mohsen & Nezami, Bagher & Jowkar, Houman & Hemami, Mahmoud-Reza & Fadakar, Davoud & Malakoutikhah, Shima & Ostrowski, Stéphane. (2017). Combining landscape suitability and habitat connectivity to conserve the last surviving population of cheetah in Asia. Diversity and Distributions. 23. 592–603. 10.1111/ddi.12560.

UPDATE:

The official correspondence of ICS with DoE confirms the rejection of the road plan, as it is capable of destroying two protected areas.

September 26, 2020 0 comments
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Water-Ranger-Touran-Biosphere-Reserve
Water for Cheetahs Project

“Water Ranger” for the sixth year; this time in Touran Biosphere Reserve

by pourmir August 4, 2020
written by pourmir 1 minutes read

Despite having relatively good precipitation during the past two years, human-made water troughs in desertic areas remain in need of maintenance and refills in the hot season. This could prevent rangers from patrolling the reserve, but with the help of caring people, the problem could be solved.

This year with the sponsorship of the “Ahmad Tea” company, Mr. Ali Rajabi has been given the responsibility of providing water and helping other rangers of the Touran Biosphere Reserve.
Management of water resources is essential for conserving Asiatic Cheetahs. The Iranian Cheetah Society, and its sponsors, alongside wildlife lovers, will not sit back from the chances of saving the species.

August 4, 2020 0 comments
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  • New Report on Asiatic Cheetah Population in Iran Released
  • Iranian Cheetah Society Releases Triennial Report For 2021-2023
  • ICS Participated in First Cheetah Global Summit held in Ethiopia
  • Khorshid: The Everlasting Hope of Turan
  • Explorers of Hope Follow the Trail of a Cheetah in a Rural Area

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New Report on Asiatic Cheetah Population in Iran Released

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Iranian Cheetah Society Releases Triennial Report For 2021-2023

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ICS Participated in First Cheetah Global Summit held in Ethiopia

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Khorshid: The Everlasting Hope of Turan

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