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ICS News

ICS has published its 2018 annual report

by pourmir April 28, 2019

written by pourmir 1 minutes read

In this report, you will find the highlighted activities of the Iranian Cheetah Society in 2018 with the support of our sponsors and donors. The conservation actions taken to protect the Asiatic cheetah and Persia leopard are the main topics also the empowering activities under the Rangers program are reported. In the end, you will read about our goals for 2019.
Our great gratitude to all of our friends, sponsors, and donors from all around the world who made our mission possible with their support.

2018 Annual Report

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April 28, 2019 0 comments

Yahya Award

Three winners of 5th Yahya prize honored for their dedication to conservation

by pourmir January 20, 2019

written by pourmir 1 minutes read

The 5th Yahya Prize awarded three rangers in January 2019 to acknowledge the rangers who took particular steps for conservation in Iran. Yahya Prize funded by two members of the ICS, Mojtaba Ramzi and Paridokht Moskzad, an artist couple who dedicated part of their income to acknowledge the nature guards’ difficult job, and ICS holds this prize every year. Many legal and natural persons are interested in taking part in this event by supporting the awards or event’s costs.
These rangers had chosen by the committee of the jury formed of seven environmental activists, ICS members, and a former ranger. The winners were selected based on 14 principal parameters suggested by the juries. Every ranger is welcomed to apply for this prize independently and despite his grade and experience.
The winners of this year:
Ranger Ataollah Sadeqi from Kurdistan Province (Western Iran)
Ranger Ali-Akbar Imani Berenjestanaki from Mazandaran (Northern Iran)
Ranger Hamid-Reza Azimpour from North Khorasan (Northeastern Iran)
At the beginning of the event, the families of four rangers who got killed by poachers or passed away while their duties honored.
As a Yahya Prize tradition, one of the activists who try to take and specific action for rangers honored. Bahman Izadi is one of these heroes who dedicated himself to release the imprisoned rangers who are facing unclear penalty according to army conflict with poachers and due to the complicated legal system.

5th Yahya prize

January 20, 2019 0 comments

work shop

Human-Wildlife Conflicts Workshop

by pourmir January 8, 2019

written by pourmir 1 minutes read

The training workshop on “Participation of local communities in the conservation of habitats and conflict resolution strategies between humans and wildlife” was held in the presence of experts of the Iranian Cheetah Society and at the invitation of the Department of Environment of Qazvin province in the governorate of Qazvin on 3 January 2019.
Many villages in Qazvin province, such as East and West Alamut, Tarom, etc., have less than amicable interactions (conflicts) with wild animals in the region such as leopards, wolves, bears, and boars. In light of this, the QazvinDepartment of Environment, by inviting experts from the Iranian Cheetah Society, made the effort to investigate these non-amicable interactions (conflicts) in this workshop attended by local community representatives to find solutions and strategies of resolution.
In this workshop, attended by the governorate authorities from all levels and authorities of the Islamic Councils of all villages in Qazvin province, issues were raised by the experts from the Association concerning cooperation and participation of the local communities in the conservation of the habitats.
In the end, it was decided for the experts of the Society to collect and compile all the information provided by local authorities in a report to be presented to the General Directorate of Department of Environment of Qazvin province to inform them of existing issues and adopted strategies by the indigenous communities.

January 8, 2019 0 comments

Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Program

Experts of ICS and EWT (Endangered Wildlife Trust) visited Miandasht Wildlife Refuge

by pourmir December 24, 2018

written by pourmir 1 minutes read

Vincent Van Der Merwe, a member of Endangered Wildlife Trust in South Africa and ICS’s experts were accompanied to visit one of the most important habitats of cheetahs. During this three days trip, an overall presentation was given about ICS’s projects and activities since 2001 in the area. Some of the main topics were the program of supplying water for cheetahs, repairing windpumps, a campaign for employing two rangers, surveying the impact of livestock presence in the area, and cheetah monitoring in Miandasht WR.
The visit accompanied by DoE’s managers, officers, and rangers of Northern Khorasan Province and Jajarm city.

December 24, 2018 0 comments

ICS News Yahya Award

ICS launches the Yahya Prize for the fifth consecutive year

by pourmir October 17, 2018

written by pourmir 0 minutes read

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 Award committee is now busy with reviewing applications for the fifth award ceremony, which is expected to continue during the following two months. Stay tuned for updates on the 2018 winters of Yahya Prize and the timing for the Awards ceremony!

October 17, 2018 0 comments

Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Program Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring Program ICS News

ICS surveys Miandasht for cheetahs, again

by pourmir October 15, 2018

written by pourmir 1 minutes read

Miandasht Wildlife Refuge in North Khorasan Province, north-eastern Iran, is the long-term project site of the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS). As one of the few sites known to host a reproducing cheetah population in Iran, our scientists have been studying the local cheetah population for over a decade. Since 2011, ICS scientists have intensively used camera traps to monitor the Miandasht cheetahs. In 2017, our team had to abandon its fieldwork in Miandasht as legal authorities. It took over one year to obtain the necessary permissions to re-launch the survey of Miandasht.

Our team is now working with the local wildlife authority and Miandasht’s rangers to provide an up-to-date status assessment of the cheetah population. Some of the new camera-trap photos from Miandasht can been seen here. Learn about how you can help us to continue this work.

October 15, 2018 0 comments

ICS News

ICS releases 2017 annual report

by pourmir October 11, 2018

written by pourmir 2 minutes read

The Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) has published its 2017 annual report (in Farsi), documenting its conservation activities and progress during the Persian calendar year 1396. This report covers the ICS conservation projects on the Asiatic cheetah in north-eastern Iran, the Caucasus Leopard Project in north-western Iran, workshops and educational activities for rangers and students, news on “Water for Cheetahs” campaign and the fourth year of Yahya Prize – a national award ceremony for accomplished Iranian rangers, scientific and popular publications, etc.

“The ICS has witnessed significant changes over the years 2016 and 2017,” according to letters by Behnam Ehsan-Bakhsh, the Chair of the Board, and Mohammad Gaeini, the acting-CEO of ICS. Mohammad Gaeini states that “[i]n 2016, ICS Board of Directors decided to propose a number of internal organizational changes. Consequently, Ms. Leyla Qasemzadeh was appointed as the new CEO of ICS”. Leyla Qasemzadeh replaced Morteza Eslami, the Co-founder of ICS and currently a Board Officer, and became the first CEO at ICS who was not a co-founder. “Leyla successfully managed the ICS succession planning throughout 2017. Sadly, our conservation activities deteriorated in this year, often due to increasing financial pressure in Iran [following the economic sanctions], as well as a series of unfortunate events… that almost led to a shutdown of environmental NGOs’ activities within the country,” writes ICS acting-CEO Mohammad Gaeini. “Consequently, the Board of ICS had to impose strict austerity measures that led to Leyla’s departure at the end of her one-year contract by the terms of an exit agreement,“ according to Mohammad Gaeini. “Yet, there is also a reason for optimism 17 years after the foundation of ICS. Wildlife conservation is appreciated more now than ever in Iran and we hope our dedicated team can continue its work throughout the following years.” The English version of the annual report will be released soon.

October 11, 2018 0 comments

ICS News Water for Cheetahs Project

The ‘Water for Cheetahs’ campaign enters the third year

by مدیر سایت January 27, 2018

written by مدیر سایت 1 minutes read

The Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) launched ‘Water for Cheetahs’ campaign in 2015 to support provision of water for wildlife during warm seasons in Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, North Khorasan Province. Miandasht is home to one of the last viable populations of the Critically Endangered Asiatic cheetah. This cheetah reserve is threatened by human-derived degradation, excessive livestock grazing, and prolonged drought. When ICS launched this campaign, local rangers had to spend the majority of their working hours supplying water for artificial water sites (‘wildlife drinkers’) in the reserve, which negatively affected their anti-poaching patrolling of the reserve. Thanks to the support of our donors, in particular the Prince Bernhard Nature Fund, we have been able to fund the recruitment of a local herder to help the local wildlife authority in the water provision for wildlife.

In 2017, the Water for Cheetahs campaign received support from Synolex Oil Company, as well as donations collected with the help our partner organization, World Land Trust. Learn about how you can help us to continue this work in 2018: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Iranian-Cheetah-Society

January 27, 2018 0 comments

ICS News Yahya Award

Winners of 2017 Yahya Prize Unveiled at the Award Ceremony

by مدیر سایت December 20, 2017

written by مدیر سایت 1 minutes read

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.

December 20, 2017 0 comments

ICS News

The Asiatic cheetah on the cover of IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group’s Cat News

by مدیر سایت November 24, 2017

written by مدیر سایت 1 minutes read

The last issue of IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group’s newsletter, Cat News , features three articles about the Asiatic cheetah in Iran. In a letter published by ICS Cheetah Survey Team, our scientists call for urgent international attention to save the Asiatic cheetah in Iran. “The inadequate political will to mitigate continuing external threats to the Asiatic cheetah survival has been partly responsible for the failure of current conservation activities”, writes our scientists. The Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP), an international initiative launched in 2001 to save the Asiatic cheetah, has been partially successful and must not be abandoned. “What Asiatic cheetah conservation urgently requires is negotiations at high levels to encourage the Iranian government to take a clear responsibility about the fate of the Asiatic cheetah” writes our scientists in this letter. Read our scientists’ letter here.

Dr. Urs Breitenmoser, the Co-Chair of IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group, writes in the editorial of this issue of Cat News that “if the present situation continues for only for a few more years, the Asiatic cheetah will be lost forever.” “What we now need is an emergency rescue plan for the Asiatic cheetah, a global campaign similar to what helped saving the Iberian lynx from extinction some 15 years ago!”, he wrote. “Saving the Asiatic cheetah is one of the top priorities in cat conservation in the years to come.”

The Iranian Cheetah Society is working with several national and local partners, including the Iranian Department of Environment and CACP, to save the Asiatic cheetah from extinction. Learn how you help us reach this goal.

November 24, 2017 0 comments