TEHRAN - Environmental protection will be launched as a field of study in the new school year, which starts on September 23, in the two provinces of Fars and Khuzestan, the Department of Environment chief has said.

Increasing environmental literacy is an important issue that can be achieved with the help of education capacity, IRNA quoted Ali Salajeqeh as saying on Tuesday.

Today, the country's environment has faced many challenges, which can be mitigated by combining the two ministries of environment and education, he emphasized.

Currently, 3,600 rangers are in charge of protecting the environment, and the number should reach at least 8,000.He went on to note that many memorandums of understanding have so far been signed between the DOE and the Ministry of Education, but the most important issue is their implementation.

At the university level, the development of environmental literacy is on the agenda, and the development of 2 units of environmental knowledge courses is considered in all university courses at the undergraduate level.

Currently, in 10 universities, these 2 units of environmental knowledge course have been implemented, and after the completion of the pilot presentation of this course, it will be launched in all universities.

The subject of humans and the environment entered the official education in the 11th grade, and the DOE is the main supporter of the development of this subject.

Other educational levels are also part of the environmental literacy development program.

The establishment of the field of environmental protection in the country is being implemented in 2 provinces of Fars and Khuzestan.

This field is in the field of work and knowledge, and after 3 years of training, students will receive a skill certificate and a diploma, which are expected to be recruited as rangers and defend the environment.

Shortage of rangers

In order to protect the country's environment well, the number of rangers should increase by 10 times, Hassan Akbari, deputy head of natural environment and biodiversity of the Department of Environment, has said.

In the country, there is currently one environmental protection force for every 30,000 to 40,000 hectares of protected areas, while usually there should be one force for 1,000 to 3,000 hectares, so to preserve our biological assets, we must take steps to recruit more rangers.

“Currently, 3,600 rangers are in charge of defending the protected areas, and the number should reach at least 8,000. There are over 600 [environment protection] stations in the country, 100 of which are inactive due to the lack of manpower.”

In September 2021, Jamshid Mohabbat-Khani, commander of the protection unit of the Department of Environment, said that the DOE has recruited 500 rangers over the past two years to enhance environmental protection, Mehr reported.

It is planned to hire 2,500 rangers for the environment departments in 10 years, he added.

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