Modern life has weakened the connection between man and nature. Man has busily exterminated valuable species on earth and unfortunately, the trend is continuing. Modern technologies have made the remotest areas on earth accessible to man, causing vast destruction of habitats and ecosystems at an ever-increasing rate. Destruction of ecosystems and depletion of habitats will result in eventual extinction of living species on Earth. The history of human interaction with natural ecosystems demonstrates numerous cases of environmental mismanagement. Many actions, in spite of good intentions, ended in disastrous consequences. In Iran, for example, has already lost two of its most spectacular carnivores, the Persian Lion and Caspian Tiger, as a result of uncontrolled hunting and habitat destruction. There are many other threatened species, which demonstrate the urgent need for conservation measures.

The first section of the report describes Iran’s natural resources. Five major biomes are identified. Iranian habitats support some 8,200 species of plants (a conservative estimate), of which almost 1,900 are endemic. There are 12.4million hectares of woodland, and some 8,900 hectares of mangroves along the Persian Gulf coast. Field studies in Iran confirm the presence of over 500 species of birds and 160 species of mammals. The wetlands of Iran are globally significant; large populations of migratory birds winter at these wetlands or use them on their way to and from wintering areas in Africa or the Indian sub-continent. Because of its large size and varied ecosystems, Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the most important countries in the Middle East and Western Asia for conservation of biological diversity.

In the global context, the increasing rate of habitat destruction and loss of species prompted a new global vision of wildlife and habitat conservation. The Convention on Biological Diversity changed protection priorities from species to ecosystems. This may be clear in approach, but the implementation of regulations faces many problems, mostly due to inadequate size of protected areas, technical and administrative management inadequacies, and discouraging rigidity of protected area acts. However, the new approach to the protected areas and to conservation of biological diversity calls for inclusion of environmental concerns in any national or regional development policy.

Iran’s biological diversity is the basis for its sustainable development, and the country’s biological resources are described in terms of aquatic resources, coastal areas, agriculture, forests and rangelands, and wetlands. The protected area system is described; outside this system biological diversity conservation is very weak. Eco-tourism is very poorly developed despite the spectacular potential.

The second section describes the threats to biological diversity and the management techniques adopted. The environmental problems of Iran are as follows:

• Inadequate general knowledge on the environment and biodiversity.
• Lack of accessible information about the country’s environmental condition.
• Irregular exploitation of resources.
• Production and consumption patterns incompatible with environmental conservation.
• Inappropriate establishment of economic activities.
• Ignoring of the environmental considerations in sectoral and regional macro policies and programs.
• Weakness in executing the environmental acts, regulations and monitoring programs.
• Lack of accepted environmental standards.
• Lack of clear definition of land use and management.
• Population concentration in several ecosystems.
• Lack of clarity of policies.
• Shortage of the experts in environmental protection and management.

The activities which pose an environmental threat to the biodiversity of Iran include: overgrazing, poaching, tree felling, removal of shrubs and bushes for fuel, conversion of land for agriculture, road construction, mining, power transmission, grazing and military activities. Many of these practices have neither ecological justification nor economic rationality. Improved land use and management practices are urgently required.

The third section describes Iran’s international, regional and bilateral undertakings in the field of biodiversity conservation, while the fourth describes future plans. Four strategies are formulated for conservation of biodiversity in future, and are to be incorporated into the next three National Socio-Economic Five-Year Plans, from 2000 to 2015. The first strategy aims at the promotion of public participation. The second strategy relates to the formation of biodiversity information and monitoring systems. The third strategy includes reorganization of institutional structures for sustainable use. The fourth strategy deals with systematic management of biodiversity resources. A series of Action Plans will be developed for the implementation of these strategies.