TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE) and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts have signed a four-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen their partnership in preserving the environment and promoting sustainable tourism.

The MOU was signed on Monday in the presence of the DOE head, Shina Ansari, and the tourism minister, Reza Salehi-Amiri, Mehr news agency reported.

The agreement primarily focuses on the sustainable use of biodiversity, promoting responsible environmental behavior in ecotourism, developing green jobs, and securing world registration of natural heritage sites.

Within the framework of the MOU, different programs such as holding educational specialized courses, establishing and strengthening sustainable tourism infrastructures, monitoring and assessing social and environmental impacts of tourism activities, as well as preventing the negative impacts of unregulated tourism, are planned to be conducted.

A working group has been developed to plan, implement, and oversee the agreements, periodically releasing an account of the progress made.

The MOU will play an essential role in boosting national capacities to protect the country’s natural and cultural heritage, as well as achieve sustainable development goals.

Improving strategic cooperation

Speaking at the 18th meeting of the Strategic Council of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, which was held in August, Ansari emphasized the need to redesign the tourism development model in Iran and urged improving strategic cooperation with the tourism ministry in the green tourism field.

She called the handicrafts a clean, local industry that is in line with the country’s natural ecosystem, Miras Arya (CHTN) reported.

She warned that promoting the tourism industry without environmental attachments will be a threat to the cultural and natural heritage of Iran.

Emphasizing the need for institutional synergy to protect the country’s natural and cultural heritage, she stated: “There is a strategic and fundamental link between the missions of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the Department of Environment. Developing sustainable and nature-based tourism is one of our common priorities, because ignoring the environment in the tourism process not only damages natural resources but also leads to the gradual erosion of our civilizational capital.”

Ansari emphasized that people, tourists, and travel activists must stand with environmentalists. Protecting nature is not just an organization’s responsibility, but a national and cultural duty, she added.

The official went on to say that, “The wetlands, forests, mountains, and pristine natural areas of Iran have the potential to be introduced as sustainable tourism destinations. The Department of Environment is ready to compile and implement sustainable green tourism within the framework of a comprehensive memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts.”

MT/MG