New Report on Asiatic Cheetah Population in Iran...
Iranian Cheetah Society Releases Triennial Report For 2021-2023
ICS Participated in First Cheetah Global Summit held...
Khorshid: The Everlasting Hope of Turan
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ICS News

Iranian Cheetah Society Releases Triennial Report on Wildlife Conservation and Asiatic Cheetah Conservation
ICS News

Iranian Cheetah Society Releases Triennial Report For 2021-2023

by pourmir February 11, 2024
written by pourmir 2 minutes read

The Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS), a non-governmental and non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the biodiversity of Iran, has published its triennial report for the period of 2021-2023. The report provides an overview of the activities and projects undertaken by the ICS, highlighting key achievements and challenges in the conservation of the Asiatic cheetah, the Persian leopard, and their habitats.

Some of the notable accomplishments of the ICS include:

  • Monitoring the population and breeding of the Asiatic cheetah, the flagship species of the ICS, in the Touran Biosphere Reserve and the Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, using camera traps and field surveys.
  • Launching the “Safe Cheetah Passage” campaign to secure the Tehran-Mashhad highway, which has claimed the lives of several cheetahs due to road accidents.
  • Exploring the potential corridors and habitats for cheetah movement beyond the protected areas, through the “Explorers of Hope” project.
  • Examining the conflicts between the Persian leopard and humans in the Tarom-e Sofla region, and proposing solutions to reduce the damage and dissatisfaction among local communities.
  • Participating in a workshop with the Department of Environment and other stakeholders to increase the capacity for the conservation of the Persian leopard and its habitats.
  • Implementing various initiatives to improve the water resource management, such as installing wind pumps, hiring water rangers, and designing new water troughs for wildlife accessibility and safety.
  • Supporting, training, and equipping over 50 rangers in the field, by providing essential gears, vehicles, food, health and safety equipment, and educational workshops.
  • Publishing a book on education, outreach, and public participation for wildlife conservation in Iran, based on the experiences and lessons learned by the ICS.

Asiatic Cheetah Conservation

The report also acknowledges the generous support of the sponsors, partners, donors, and volunteers who have contributed to the progress and sustainability of the ICS. It concludes with a glimpse into the goals and challenges for 2024, emphasizing the need for international cooperation and investment to secure the future of the Asiatic cheetah and other endangered species in Iran.

The digital version of the report is available for free download below.

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2021-2023 Triennial Activity Report

1 file(s) 7.39 MB
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February 11, 2024 0 comments
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Rangers of Asiatic cheetah conservation
ICS News

Summer census of Turan wild ungulates

by pourmir August 22, 2023
written by pourmir 1 minutes read

Every year, in winter and summer, rangers and volunteers survey the protected areas of Iran. These surveys mainly focus on counting ungulates and play an important role in assessing the status of the area, especially when independent experts and volunteers join them. The experts of ICS also participated in this program with the rangers and other volunteers, experts, and enthusiasts of Touran wildlife. The survey took place from August 6 to 9.

Rangers in Touran National Park

Touran Biosphere Reserve covers an area of one and a half million hectares and is one of the largest and most important protected areas in Iran. This reserve has high biodiversity and hosts many unique and endangered wildlife species such as the Persian leopard, Asiatic Cheetah, Gray wolf, wild sheep, wild goat, etc. This reserve plays an important role in maintaining the ecological balance of the region’s desert habitats. Touran Biosphere Reserve is a known World Heritage Site.

August 22, 2023 0 comments
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Hiring rangers in Asiatic Cheetah habitat
Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Program

Supporting Cheetah Conservation: Increasing Conservation Forces in Touran and Miandasht

by pourmir July 31, 2022
written by pourmir 0 minutes read

Efficient protection forces are essential for preserving endangered species such as the Asiatic Cheetah. By increasing the number of protection forces in each habitat, the quality of protection in the region can be improved. In 2021, the Iranian Cheetah Society hired two rangers in the Touran Biosphere Reserve. These rangers, who are also from the local community, help with patrolling, rehabilitation, and water supply to waterholes, among other activities. We were able to extend their contracts for another full year thanks to our national and international donors.

July 31, 2022 0 comments
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The Iranian Cheetah Society’s statement following the news of the release of new areas for mining exploration in the only viable habitat of the cheetah.
ICS News

Iranian Cheetah Society Responds to Mining Plans in Cheetah Habitat

by pourmir May 23, 2022
written by pourmir 1 minutes read

Following the news of the release of new areas for mining exploration, the society expressed its concern to the government about the new mining activities in Touran and Miandasht and published the response for public awareness. In the image, the extensive overlap of the new area with the last viable habitat of the cheetah in Iran can be seen. The green area indicates the border of the Touran Biosphere Reserve and the red line is the area released in the cadastre system of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade with an area of about 16 thousand square kilometers. An area that practically includes all points of cheetah observation in Touran.

In the follow-up, we learned that the Office of Habitats and Protected Areas Affairs, which is responsible for issuing mining permits in the Department of Environment, had considered this announcement illegal and had also reflected the violation to the judiciary. In a recent meeting with the director general of this office, we also received a letter from the judiciary to the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade regarding these areas. In this letter, which cannot be published publicly for legal reasons, the judiciary has warned the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade that if it repeats violations of regulations by not issuing permits in protected areas, this will be considered a violation of government employees’ law and will face serious confrontation by the judicial system.

May 23, 2022 0 comments
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ICS News

A 20-Year Journey of the Iranian Cheetah Society

by pourmir April 20, 2022
written by pourmir 1 minutes read

The Iranian Cheetah Society is a non-profit and non-governmental organization established in 2001 to work towards the preservation of the valuable Asiatic Cheetah. Since its inception, hundreds of experts, volunteers, and supporters have joined hands to change the fate of this beautiful cat in the deserts of Iran. Today, various activities are being carried out in cooperation with park rangers and managers of the Department of Environment during the 20 years of activity of the Society. The experience gained during these 20 years and direct contact with the government sector, local communities, and international organizations has turned the Iranian Cheetah Society into a mature organization in the field of non-governmental nature conservation activities in Iran. Despite various political, economic, and social crises in these two decades, the Society has not only weathered all these storms but has also grown and expanded its activities. Today, we believe that the fate and survival of the Asiatic cheetah is still in our hands as Iranians, and the Society will use all its power to change the fate of the Iranian cheetah until the last moment. We are undoubtedly indebted to the sacrifices and direct and indirect support of countless members, volunteers, and supporters. Without public support, the Society would never have been able to overcome all these crises and remain a pioneer in protecting the Iranian cheetah after two decades. This short documentary attempts to use images from various activities of the Society over the years. However, since there were no usable and quality images from all activities, especially from activities in the early years, these images are not indicative of all activities and all role-players. Additionally, due to lack of facilities, many activities were not recorded on that time.

April 20, 2022 0 comments
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International Cheetah Day
ICS News

Happy International Cheetah Day 2021!

by pourmir December 4, 2021
written by pourmir 0 minutes read
International Cheetah Day

International Cheetah Day

Today is International Cheetah Day and people around the world are spreading the word about this lovely species.

With less than 40 Asiatic Cheetahs left in the world, they are critically endangered subspecies. This year you can support us by donating to our JustGiving page and help us hire an additional ranger in Asiatic Cheetah habitats.

Donate Now!

Learn more about Asiatic Cheetahs

December 4, 2021 0 comments
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ICS News

2019-2020 Biannual Report

by pourmir September 27, 2021
written by pourmir 2 minutes read

About This Report

The following report contains the progress report of activities and projects accomplished by the Iranian Cheetah Society in 2019-2020. It also covers the activities that were undertaken in early 2021. In the end, you will be informed about our goals for 2021.
Our great gratitude to all of our friends, sponsors, and donors from all around the world who made our mission possible with their support.

Message from CEO

Since 2016, with the decline in the Asiatic Cheetah population, the ICS tried to cancel most of its projects dealing with other carnivores and dedicated its human and financial resources to save the Asiatic cheetah.

Unfortunately, similar to previous years, the camera traps and reports from the rangers and local people showed decreasing signs of the presence of the Asiatic cheetah in 2018. As a result, the ICS got more active in ex-situ conservation. In a situation where the in situ conservation activities have been inefficient for the last 20 years, the need to follow up on the captive breeding project in parallel is the only way to save the last individuals of this species.

In 2019 and 2020, the ICS was successful in adding this type of conservation to its previous habitat activities., With the help of its South African partners, the ICS tried to be a facilitator and not an administrator of the ex-situ project. Equipment and scientific consultancy concerning captive breeding in semi-natural habitats based on South African experiences, was provided to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. A project which faced many scientific, technical, and executive difficulties.

In this report, you will not only get familiar with 2019 and 2020 ICS activities for cheetah habitat conservation but you will also be informed about the role the ICS played as a facilitator and consultant for the captive breeding project.

ICS considers these past two years as its most successful ones since its establishment. A year in which, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, economical turbulences, and the daily increase of US sanctions, the ICS experienced activity growth. This year, the ICS`s first goal was to focus on activities that directly led to cheetah conservation.

Last but not least, the ICS wants to thank the national and international sponsors who helped us with conservation activities. Also, we are thankful for the executive team, experts, and our volunteers, because without them, we couldn’t do what we do. You can see the list of sponsors at the end of the report.

-Morteza Pourmirzai
CEO

 

Download the Report

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2019-2020 Biannual Report

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September 27, 2021 0 comments
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Asiatic Cheetah
ICS News

Proof of Asiatic Cheetah presence in rangeland which ICS and IUCN NL secured for conservation

by pourmir August 22, 2021
written by pourmir 2 minutes read

The Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS), supported by IUCN Netherlands, succeeded in evacuating livestock in 5,600 hectares of rangeland on the edge of Touran National Park. This intervention soon paid off; these photos are the first pictures of the Asiatic Cheetah’s presence in this area! Unfortunately, even though the 5,600 hectares are located in a vital part of the cheetah’s habitat in Iran, no cheetah pictures were available from this area.

[irp posts=”22791″ name=”The starting of nationwide population monitoring the Asiatic Cheetah”]

Background

Livestock evacuation from the rangelands in this area became a priority action for ICS and the Iranian Department of the Environment (DOE) in this region to protect the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah from extinction. ICS estimates that less than 30 Asiatic Cheetahs remain in the wild, all of them in Iran.  ICS managed to revoke the grazing permits and installed the camera traps in this area to ensure the presence of this valuable species.

Annually, almost 80.000 livestock in more than 120 herds with 300 dogs are allowed to roam across the Touran Biosphere Reserve. However, due to drought in recent years, herds occupy the most suitable pastures and proper habitats. This makes the ungulates and their predators move to less-preferred areas during harsh winters. Besides, the wildlife is also directly affected because of many herd dogs within the area, as well as cryptic poaching efforts by herders. Poachers also find more opportunities during grazing seasons because they can pretend they are herders looking for their livestock or trying to find proper vegetation for their animals.

In fact, due to the presence of livestock higher than this arid area’s capacity, Touran Biosphere Reserve provides risky winters for the wildlife, both due to drawbacks in proper grazing habitats for the wildlife as well as much more susceptibility to the poachers due to the presence of many people inside the area.

Accordingly, several Asiatic Cheetahs have been caught/killed by people/herd dogs in recent years during their presence with their domestic animals. Also, overgrazing threatens Asiatic Cheetah’s prey with limited food resources and makes them go to higher elevations because their habitat is occupied by livestock.

Success

These recorded photos are the first pictures of the cheetah’s presence in this area. According to the identification database, they belong to identified cheetahs with the names of Telma and Fegheh. Thus, the recorded presence of these two cheetahs in the new area is now undeniable, which is a fascinating reward for the hard work of our field team.

Currently, ICS monitors all critical Asiatic Cheetah spots in Touran Biosphere Reserve using camera traps in cooperation with the Iranian DOE.

[irp posts=”22522″ name=”Creating a Livestock-Free Wildlife Refuge to Safeguard the Critically Endangered Asiatic Cheetah”]

August 22, 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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Public Relations

Iranian Cheetah Society in 2019

by مدیر سایت April 3, 2020
written by مدیر سایت 7 minutes read

Iranian Cheetah Society in bird’s eye view (2019) :

Three thousand (3000) of each poster was published and distributed in schools, organizations, and habitats of Asiatic Cheetah by our members and audiences, the municipal administration office in Tehran helped us distributing the posters all over Tehran.
In the middle of the last year (2019) , four trainees were recruited to get experience in working in the wildlife conservation association . They participated in the first course of traineeship for six months and now they have joined and had activities to the association as experts. The Cheetah Association hopes to repeat this course to other interested volunteers in this Year 1399 .

Instruction of site selection, design, construction and management of fenced reserves for Asiatic Cheetahs in Iran:

Recent findings show that there are less than 40 Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) left in deserts of Iran. Regarding this fact, the Iranian Department of Environment(DOE) decided to deliberate options to save the last individuals of Asiatic Cheetahs in the country.

After numerous meetings, workshops, and site visits, DOE concluded that South Africa’s experience with fenced reserves might be a potential solution to save Asiatic Cheetahs. Through this period, Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) facilitated connection and information exchange between DOE and South African reserves and experts.
Meanwhile, it was so crucial to have a clear guideline before starting any constructions of fenced reserve based on global experiences on breeding Cheetahs.

There was no comprehensive and accessible instructions or manual to demonstrate steps needed to establish a fenced reserve in Iran. That was essential to have this guidance for site selection, design, construction, and management of a fenced reserve for Cheetah.

After an official request by DOE, ICS made a comprehensive survey on all available data on planning and managing the fenced reserves. All research was focused on enhancing the reproduction chance in the future reserve. Various articles, protocols, reports, books, and manuals being used to prepare the final report.
In the end, we optimized procedures and structures with local laws and Asiatic Cheetah’s ecology.

On the importance of water matters, in September of 2019, there was a chance for the experts of the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) to take a trip to South Africa with the deputy of the natural environment. We tried to get acquainted with the achievements of one of our peer organizations, and the conditions in which they were successful in “breeding” and “rearing” Cheetas. In this trip, we saw Cheetahs that have been fed by humans when they were cubs, but then after puberty, they were taught to hunt, labored in the wild, and raised their cubs. Such experiences helped us to have a more vivid vision for the semi-captive breeding of Asiatic Cheetah.

The management of water resources in cheetah habitats which have faced drought has been an issue of concern for the Cheetah association during this decade. A local person has been employed as a water supplier at the Miandasht Wildlife refuge for five consecutive years by the Cheetah association and its supporters. During the hot and dry months of the year, he is in charge of supplying water in the trough and other related duties, such as cleaning and repairing; so rangers cannot be kept from their legal and regular duties and patrol.

Another project that took place last winter at the Miandasht Wildlife refuge, and continued in this year (2019 ) , was the construction of a dam on seasonal stream route . During these two years, a total of 12 dams were built by the association. The construction of these dikes, which are based on indigenous knowledge, have duty of collecting surface water that would become flood during rain. These 12 dams help to recovery vegetation in the area beside reducing erosion and losing fresh water.

All of the water management projects that have taken place over the years have provided valuable and reliable information for association experts to present their performance and results at the annual SAWMA conference in South Africa this summer. The presentation was also interested to the audience.

Educating locals and other beneficiaries on the edge of natural habitats is one of the most effective and valuable ways of conserving habitats and wildlife. Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) corporated with the Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) and prepared for the first time “Cheetahs and Ladders” the board game in 1398.  Companions who attended our educational festivals would remember this game.

It should be noted that the manufacturing of the Cheetahs and ladders board game by the corporation of ICS and CACP was targeted for kids and teens. In this project, we considered other tools for target groups of women, kids and teens, NGOs, schools, educators, and other people related to the conservation of Asiatic Cheetah. The Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) will hand out the accessories nearby the Asiatic Cheetah’s habitat in 1399.

Through the past twelve months, the Iranian Cheetah Society had focused on work in Miandsasht Wildlife Refuge in which due to its ongoing projects for cheetah conservation. We hired 2 new rangers in the area in order to help current 8 other rangers in patrols, livestock movement control, and examining wildlife tracking. The contract of this project was signed in early 2019 in attendance of the head of North Khorasan province DoE and Jajarm county governer.

Through the first contract, 2 people who were already familiar with the area and ranger responsibilities started work and increased manpower by 20%. The contract continued with only one of the 2 rangers.
The ICS bought a CRM motorcycle, repaired one of the existing motorcycles, funded fuel, and further repairs to facilitate the vehicle shortage in patrols. Read more…

 

Workshop for practical training and building capacities among rangers of Asiatic Cheetah reserves

In line with the objectives of ICS and following our collaboration regarding the Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Project (CACP), three workshops were held in the habitats of Asiatic Cheetah. The dates of these workshops were 28th of November, 5th, and 6th of December and the participants were rangers aiming to learn skills regarding the conservation of cheetahs.

The location of these one-day workshops were the Asiatic Cheetah Training and Research Centre in the town of Ardakan, as well as the Department of Environmental in Garmasr city and the Delbar rangers base in Turan National Park.

The participants in these workshops were from Darreh Anjir & Neybaz wildlife refuge, Siahkooh national park, Bafgh Mountain protected area, Hunting-Prohibited area of Bahabad in Yazd province, wildlife refuge of Darband Ravar in Kerman province, wildlife refuge of Naybandan in south-Khorasan province, wildlife refuge of Abbas Abad in Isfahan province, wildlife reserve of Miandasht in North-Khorasan province, Kavir national park and the Turan biosphere reserve in Semnan province.

The workshops were held to update and extend the knowledge of these rangers of Asiatic Cheetah habitat. The topics were chosen based on their usefulness for these people. For instance skills such as taking professional photos with phones, working professionally with phone GPS, spotting the tracks of carnivores in cheetah’s habitats, working with camera-traps, etc. In addition to these, some amount of information was gathered thanks to the contributions of participants.

Increasing the knowledge and the experience of rangers has a direct effect on their protection of wildlife reserves. In addition to all these advantages, their concerns and recommendations will also be shared with other people in the government.

ICS would like to thank all departments from provinces Yazd, Kerman, Semnan, Isfahan, North Khorasan and South Khorasan for their support and efforts regarding these workshops.

Re-monitoring of Miandasht’s wildlife refuge with trap-cameras reveals the worrying situation of Cheetahs’ survival. In the previous year, only one male cheetah has been photographed which sadly was deceased in a car accident later that year. Miandasht is a safe region with good resources for cheetahs but however it offers a little scope of land. Cheetahs dislocate a lot and that is a challenging matter in preserving this species. As our concern regarding the cheetah population has increased, we called upon Ministry of Environment and provincial departments to launch an urgent national re-monitoring of cheetahs program involving all relevant actors. So far provinces Khorasan Razavi, Khorasan Jonoobi and Semnan have expressed their willingness to contribute into this program. In the future, ICS will inform the audience about further news and publish more information about Cheetah’s population. Re-monitoring in Miandasht was carried out in August 2019 with the collaboration of Department of Environment of Khorasan Shomali province, Department of Environment of Jajarm city and natural guards. Spots association was the sponsor of this project.

April 3, 2020 0 comments
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Help us save the Asiatic cheetah from extinction


Latest News

  • 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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Postal Address: P.O.Box 14155-8549, Tehran, Iran
Office: Unit 2, Number 3, Jomhouri Ave, Tehran, Tehran Province
Whatsapp: +98 (935) 2450054
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New Report on Asiatic Cheetah Population in Iran Released

Iranian Cheetah Society Releases Triennial Report on Wildlife Conservation and Asiatic Cheetah Conservation

Iranian Cheetah Society Releases Triennial Report For 2021-2023

Iranian Cheetah Society team with the Laurie Marker from CCF

ICS Participated in First Cheetah Global Summit held in Ethiopia

Asiatic Cheetah cubs, Khorshid Family

Khorshid: The Everlasting Hope of Turan

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Iranian Cheetah Society
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