Photo Opportunity with a Bloodied Leopard

Twenty days into the first month of the new year, the count of killed leopards began. According to the head of the Environmental Protection Organization, the droughts of 2014 caused significant damage to the country's wetlands, and the condition of groundwater is also concerning. These two issues are the focus of this week's environmental program on Radio Farda. Media outlets detail how four leopards were killed in less than three weeks since the new year, from Bardasir in Kerman to the Shiraz-Kazerun road and from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province to Ilam province. In all these locations, the bodies of leopards, which are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, have been found. Road accidents and hunting are the main reasons for the killing of this particular species in the early weeks of Farvardin this year, similar to last year when 11 leopards were killed in Iran for the same reasons. The latest case reported involves a hunter who took a selfie with a leopard's corpse in Ivank County, Ilam province. Maziar Soleiman Nejad, the head of the Environmental Protection Organization in Ilam, stated in an interview with the news network that this hunter has been arrested and is awaiting trial. The head of the Environmental Protection Organization mentioned in an interview with the Etemad newspaper the lack of 'punishments' that would deter hunters or villagers from targeting this endangered species. He stated that there should be punishments in place that would prevent hunters from daring to take selfies with the carcasses of leopards and other animals. The Supreme Environmental Council has increased the penalties related to such violations, and according to officials, legal proceedings are underway. However, Bijan Daroushouri, an environmental researcher and expert in Tehran, strongly opposes the idea of punishment: 'Punishment does not protect the environment and animals. Why don't we educate people with the help of our artists? There are so many television networks in the country that do not broadcast an engaging environmental program. Wherever we have communicated properly with the people in Iran and gained their trust, they have cooperated. Respectable individuals should collaborate with the Environmental Organization so that people can trust their words.' The ignorance of livestock breeders and farmers about the law that the Environmental Protection Organization will compensate for damages caused by leopards killing sheep and goats, or the slow administrative process of paying these damages, leads them to take matters into their own hands and kill leopards. Some environmental experts believe that the statistics regarding leopard killings in Iran are more frequently reported in the media due to their rarity, while the killing of other wildlife species is more prevalent. A significant portion of these deaths is attributed to roads that have been constructed through forests or natural habitats, where vehicles moving along them suddenly take the life of an animal merely crossing the road. Bijan Farhang Daroushouri, who has been involved in environmental work in Iran since 1971, spoke about the maintenance methods for specific animal species for which designated habitats were established: 'When we established the Environmental Protection Organization in Iran, no one in the Middle East knew what the environment was. We did not have endangered species in Iran because we had over 10 million hectares of protected areas and national parks. There must be a safe habitat for each animal species to ensure its future and health. We do not need to bring experts from abroad. We should consult with the rangers and hunters who worked in the environmental sector until 1977 and see how we did not have endangered species back then.' Nevertheless, officials state that for a year, the budget needed to change the route of the Golestan road—one of the biggest reasons for vehicle accidents with wildlife—has not been secured. Golestan is one of the few green areas in Iran that is considered the habitat of the Persian leopard. The dangerous condition of groundwater in Iran According to the head of the Environmental Protection Organization, the droughts of 2014 caused significant damage to the country's wetlands, but the rains at the end of the year and early Farvardin helped revive them. Masoumeh Ebtekar stated in interviews with Iranian news agencies that the Farah Wetlands and Hirmand have been saved from drying up, and she expressed optimism about the ongoing filling of the Hoor al-Azim in Khuzestan. She also expressed hope about resolving the issues of the drying Urmia Lake this year. The closure of illegal wells around the Paryshan Wetlands in Fars province and Urmia Lake is among the news that the head of the Environmental Protection Organization has reported since the start of the new year. These illegal wells are the ones that pump groundwater around lakes and rivers, and farmers and gardeners do not limit themselves to one or two of them for irrigation. The entry of urban, industrial wastewater, and agricultural runoff in some cities through these wells poses a serious threat to groundwater in Iran. Michael Campana, a professor at Oregon State University and an expert in groundwater and water resource management who has traveled to Iran and researched the critical water conditions there, states: 'The condition of groundwater in Iran is not good. Iran is a dry country and does not have large, flowing rivers like Northern America and some rainy cities in Europe. Therefore, Iranians have relied more on groundwater. I am not sure how organized and regulated the use of this water is in Iran.' He notes that this issue is a problem that exists everywhere and is more pronounced in countries like Iran: 'When surface water levels drop and access to them decreases, people start digging wells. This has happened in California as well, a state that is caught in a terrifying drought in the US. Farmers cannot obtain enough water, so they dig deep wells. Some of these wells are at least a thousand meters deep, which is very excessive, but there is no other way. Therefore, the condition of groundwater continues to worsen. This situation occurred in India a few years ago. Farmers dug wells to reach water as if there was no tomorrow, and the groundwater levels drastically decreased. This issue again relates to water resource management problems. Although I do not have much knowledge about this topic in Iran, I feel that there is not sufficient and proper management regarding groundwater in Iran.' The head of the Environmental Protection Organization, who is one of the officials in charge of managing the country's natural resources, has reported an increase in education and awareness among farmers last year, especially in 34 villages, to reform agricultural and irrigation patterns. According to her, adding 41 villages to this program this year will improve the situation of water returning to the groundwater tables of Urmia Lake.