TEHRAN – Before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran was only a member of three international conventions on the protection of the environment, while the country joined 10 conventions after the Revolution.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which aims to address the causes of biodiversity loss, the Stockholm Convention which aims to protect human health and the environment from the effects of persistent organic pollutants, and the Vienna Convention are among the 10 conventions.

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the Climate Change Convention, the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, and the Kuwait Regional Convention on protection of marine environment from pollution to protect the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman are other international treaties that Iran has signed per its Constitution.

Taking international and regional measures to protect the marine environment in the Caspian Sea, Iran held the Tehran Convention in 2003.

The Tehran Convention served as an overarching governance framework that lays down the general requirements and the institutional mechanism for environmental protection and sustainable development in the Caspian Sea region.

Before the Revolution, Iran was an official member of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It also hosted the Ramsar Convention, which was held in Ramsar city of Mazandaran province which provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

Environmental projects to mark Islamic Revolution

According to the Department of Environment (DOE), 67 environmental projects in 17 provinces of the country were inaugurated on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

The anniversary of the Islamic Revolution is celebrated annually from February 1 to 11.

The projects, costing over 48 thousand billion rials (about $960,000), were inaugurated simultaneously across the country on February 10, IRNA reported.

Filtration and air monitoring stations ranked first with twelve projects, with infrastructure (10), smart management (3), online monitoring of industries (12), wastewater treatment (15), building environmental checkpoints (12), and education (3) in the next places.

Khorasan Razavi province with 19 projects, Tehran province with 8 projects, Lorestan, Hamadan, and West Azerbaijan provinces with 6 projects had the largest number of projects implemented, respectively.

It is the third phase of the environmental projects’ inauguration during the current Iranian calendar year, which ends on March 20.

Recent measures

Within the last decades, environmental problems have greatly affected nature and people’s lives. Air pollution, as a man-made problem originating from economic and industrial factors, accounts for millions of deaths every year.

The Department of Environment by developing environment houses aims to deal with the country's environmental challenges and needs by improving scientific and knowledge-based research.

It also seeks to improve the individual, organizational, and managerial capacities of innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, students, and academic faculty members of universities.

The number of protected areas under the supervision of the Department of Environment has increased 5.5 times after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.  

Before the Revolution, there were a total of 58 protected areas in the country.

The comprehensive plan studies the condition of wildlife, vegetation, water, and soil. Based on that, the land is classified into several zones.

In these zones, parts of the area are considered only for protection, parts for recreation and nature tourism, and small parts for administrative activities, he explained.

A series of restrictions are imposed on these zones. For example, road construction or mining are banned. These limitations will ultimately lead to better management and preservation of the region.

The fifteenth day of Esfand – the last Iranian calendar month, which falls on March 5, has been approved to be registered on the national calendar as the ‘Environmental Protection Education Day’.

The registration of the Environmental Protection Education Day in the country's official calendar is a valuable event for the environmental society of the country education in the field of environment is one of the basic steps to preserve and protect the country's environment.

MT/MG