The Passing of Inanlou; Why Are Scientific Environmental Programs Not Produced on Television?

The voice that could have attracted thousands of Iranians to the beauty of nature in Iran at least 20 years ago, a voice that spoke of the need to pay attention to the ecosystems of wetlands, forests, mountains, and plains, and the importance of wildlife, a voice that popularized the concept of ecotourism in Iran, was silenced on the morning of Saturday, January 1, at the age of 68. Mohammad Ali Inanlou, a television presenter, nature documentary filmmaker, and beloved figure in Iranian ecotourism, had transformed the program 'With Nature' on Channel Two into a refreshing exploration of ecotourism and environmental issues during years of creative drought in television programming. Inanlou was known as one of the lovers of travel and ecotourism in the country. A former employee of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), he was dismissed during the purges after the revolution but continued to work as a freelance producer, overcoming censorship daily. He is considered the founder of ecotourism in Iran and was recognized as one of the prominent television and radio figures who knew how to encourage people to preserve the environment and nature instead of merely writing memories on the walls of heritage sites and destroying the environment. However, what happened that no program of the level and precision of 'With Nature' regarding ecotourism and the necessity of environmental attention has been produced in Iranian television since? A program that had made locals in various provinces and cities more aware of the country's environment, why was it stopped? Ismail Mirfakhraei, a former director and producer at the National Radio and Television of Iran, who had a memorable performance in the studio section of 'With Nature,' states that there was no desire to create such programs within the organization: 'The radio and television system has its own goals and missions. If someone in that system wants to impose their personal tastes, the system does not like it. In Iran, this issue becomes even more complicated because the majority of the budget for programming is spent on series and such entertainment, leaving insufficient funds for scientific and environmental programs. Therefore, the production of effective programs to raise the audience's awareness and thinking about the environment is prevented; this itself is a deterrent system.' Inanlou was responsible for the travel and road sections of the program. He traveled by car, speaking with a passionate voice that radiated love for nature, sharing the beauties of the journey and the secrets of the roads, plants, and animals of each region. Ismail Mirfakhraei, who had a 50-year friendship with Inanlou, discusses the methods they employed to create an engaging environmental and scientific program in the years after the revolution, but despite public enthusiasm, it lacked support from officials: 'Our thinking was that we should familiarize our people with the nature of Iran — now Inanlou more and I less — but our programs were not entertaining enough. The majority of the budget for programming is spent on entertaining shows, and programs that teach the audience (meaning a change occurs in the audience before and after watching the program) are not particularly prioritized. While entertainment can be inherent in scientific programs, like what David Attenborough does. The example of 'With Nature' is right in front of me. We didn't even have a script back then. I would speak from my own knowledge. I only had the headings. Now I am surprised at how I managed to do that. Inanlou did the same. There was a humor in Mohammad Ali Inanlou's speech that helped this process. When we combined our efforts under the production of Mr. Atashafrooz, who handled the administrative tasks of the program, we aired this program for 40 nights. Then we were asked to create it again. But the budget they provided us was minimal. In other words, Inanlou's car broke down. They paid us 4,800 tomans for each minute. At that time, this amount was nothing compared to the budgets allocated for entertainment programs.' However, in recent years, Mohammad Ali Inanlou, this beloved presenter and environmentalist, had also sparked a wave of criticism and protest from some environmentalists and animal rights activists. The last time he faced significant criticism was when news emerged about his involvement in hunting in an area in Shahroud. News and a photo of three hunters with the carcass of a wild ram circulated on social media and some websites active in the environmental field. These three hunters were arrested in a prohibited hunting area in Shahroud, and it was later stated that the responsibility for the hunt lay with Shakrollah Inanlou, Mohammad Ali's brother, and that he had also played a role in the hunting. Although Inanlou always denied this news and claimed that some of his adversaries had spread it as a rumor, the official website of the Environmental Protection Organization later reacted to this issue with a news headline 'Arrest of Relatives of a Television Figure in a Prohibited Hunting Area.' Inanlou's positions on hunting have somewhat fueled these criticisms. He never opposed hunting in his interviews and had different and controversial opinions about it. Although in a television interview, he once described his past as a hunter as a mistake and stated that he now hunts with a camera and enjoys it more. Ismail Mirfakhraei, a veteran presenter and former producer of scientific and environmental programs at the National Radio and Television of Iran, says this was only part of Inanlou's character that did not align with his friendship and love for nature and the environment: 'I am completely against hunting. Despite Inanlou's support for legal hunting and hunting old animals, I constantly clashed with him. Inanlou was a hunter until 17 years ago. Since then, gradually the camera replaced the gun, and our agreement improved. But we always had arguments. I never liked his hunter persona under any circumstances. Although we were very close friends, we always had a 180-degree disagreement.' Inanlou also criticized the management of the environment, saying, 'The environment is the only field that must be managed by a man.' According to him, 'The environment, due to its harsh nature, is not a place for softness.' His remarks were in response to the Environmental Protection Organization's decisions to impose a five-year hunting ban, directed at Masoumeh Ebtekar, the head of this organization, who had replaced killing sheep in ceremonies with releasing pigeons. Inanlou reacted to these new behaviors by saying: 'The environment is not a place for the pink color of Walt Disney cartoons.' Ismail Mirfakhraei, a longtime friend and colleague of Mohammad Ali Inanlou, says that he, who was trying to maintain his ecotourism and environmental program, became upset and bitter with the approaches of some officials: 'The pressures that are exerted on a person naturally place him in the opposing camp. Regarding Shahroud, I was in contact with him from Australia. He seriously said it was not my issue. But there is a sensitive point; Inanlou, in his later years, had created a blend of presenting himself and preserving the environment and the importance of our country, Iran, which led to him getting into trouble. Because many people did not like Inanlou's appearance. It is natural that every day and night, he had problems with a radio-television perspective that did not align with his view. He was often called and made depressed to say this or that. While the program maker, without intending to overthrow, wants to clarify the reality. It is very bad for someone with less knowledge to supervise your work. As a result, I want to say that I gave up. In common language, 'I gave up' and went into academic work and had some radio programs years ago, and I also played sports in Australia and have now returned to Iran. Because I cannot cut myself off from my country. Inanlou did not give up and truly stood firm and executed the programs. His work showed that people's tastes may sometimes not align with the tastes of the radio-television organization worldwide.' Despite all these criticisms, 68-year-old Mohammad Ali Inanlou remained vibrant and lively in the mountains and deserts of Iran, traveling with his young filming crew while preparing and presenting the documentary 'Iran, a World in One Border,' which somewhat reminded audiences of the beloved program 'With Nature' from 20 years ago. A program that, although it did not achieve the same level of popularity, made the voice and presence of Mohammad Ali Inanlou more memorable and familiarized people with the attractions of Iran's nature. Ismail Mirfakhraei says he was not particularly in favor of making these documentaries but has now reached a new conclusion: 'I always jokingly told him: you waste the subject, and he would get very upset. But now I understand, he had no other option. I mean, when you have few specialized cameramen or, for example, the radio-television organization tears your program apart, you cannot do better than this. People like me could not endure and left. But Inanlou stood firm, and despite the problems he faced in program-making and oversight — which were completely unnecessary — because he loved Iran and knew the people, he was able to overcome these barriers, and his programs succeeded, which is beneficial for radio-television in Iran. I do not know why less attention is paid to these programs that benefit people's awareness through radio-television.' Ismail Mirfakhraei, who traveled to Australia after being forcibly retired from the IRIB, says he has now returned to Iran because he could not bear to be separated from Iran's nature, but now that he has returned, his old companion in ecotourism is no longer there. The voice that spent many nights with us to give meaning to environmentalism and ecotourism in Iran.