TEHRAN – The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Agriculture signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand cooperation in the field of environmental protection, IRIB reported on Saturday.

Under the agreement, part of the capacity of the Ministry of Defense will serve the agricultural, water, and soil sectors as well as the production of items needed by these sectors, Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said.

Production of agricultural machinery, UAVs for water use, desertification, etc., use of helicopters for forest firefighting, use of technological, satellite, and air facilities for the development of agricultural infrastructure and maintenance of biological resources, self-sufficiency, production and distribution of essential products are among the most important areas of cooperation between the ministries, he explained.

Hatami went on to note that the agricultural sector is the main infrastructure for achieving food security, providing adequate, available, healthy, useful, and sustainable food, adding, this sector is one of the pillars of the country's development.

Technological advances and environmental protection

Jamshid Mohabbat Khani, commander of the protection unit of the Department of Environment (DOE), said in May 2020 that the DOE plans to equip the environmental defenders with technological advances.

It is planned to purchase quadcopters, set up a nationwide wireless system, and install cameras on the rangers’ uniforms, he stated.

Pointing to the purchase of quadcopters to monitor protected areas, prevent crime, identify and even deal with poachers, he said that some quadcopters can carry 100 liters of water and spray it over areas burning in fire.

Installing cameras on rangers’ uniform is another plan that can be effective in documenting while helping the defenders to prove conflicts with poachers to the judiciary, he highlighted.

The new wireless devices have a GPS that can be used to track and monitor the forces in the event of an accident, and the rangers can contact all the country's police stations, he highlighted.

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