Unarmed Rangers

Not long after the news of the killing of two rangers in the heights of the protected Genu region in Hormozgan province was released, another ranger joined them, this time in the protected Bamu region in Fars province. 35-year-old Mohammad Dehghani, who is seen in a photo in ranger attire feeding a weak fawn with a bottle, was killed alongside his colleague 54-year-old Parviz Hormozi by armed hunters, who also stole their phones and weapons before fleeing. This clash occurred in a mountainous area 40 kilometers from Bandar Abbas, in a hunting prohibited and protected zone, resulting in the bodies of the two rangers being transferred with great difficulty and much delay after their deaths, aided by nine climbers. The killers of the two rangers in Hormozgan, who were apparently a father and son duo of hunters, have been arrested. Shortly after, Hamidreza Kheildar, the commander of the Environmental Protection Organization's protection unit, announced in a televised interview that there was a plot to kill these two rangers. The third ranger, 39-year-old Manouchehr Shojaei, was killed less than a day after this armed conflict in the Bamu protected area in Fars province. An illegal hunter shot him in the chest and neck. The injured ranger fell from a cliff and was later airlifted to the hospital with deep wounds, where he succumbed hours later. Of the 17 million hectares of protected areas in Iran, only 2,617 rangers are tasked with their protection. Last month, another ranger in Dena was seriously injured, and reports indicated that he might lose a limb. These are not the only rangers who have been killed or injured. Statistics show that in the past three decades, 119 rangers have fallen victim to hunters while trying to protect Iran's declining nature and wildlife. The Environmental Protection Organization states that only 2,617 rangers are responsible for monitoring the 17 million hectares of protected areas in Iran. A limited number of rangers are being killed or imprisoned, with inadequate budgets, incomplete equipment, and legal gaps that leave many avenues open for income from hunting, effectively tying the hands of rangers. Nevertheless, Mohammad Mojabi, the deputy for management development, legal affairs, and parliamentary affairs of the Environmental Protection Organization, stated in an analytical interview on Iranian television that according to the law regarding the use of weapons, the use of firearms must be legitimate. If a ranger in police uniform uses the same weapon, even if it results in the death of a violator or a criminal, that police officer is not detained even for an hour. Ismail Kahromain, one of the most significant discussions regarding these rangers is training and permission to shoot, which has led to the deaths of many rangers in the country. Ismail Kahrom, an environmental researcher and former ranger, comments on this legal deficiency: 'If we compare the armed personnel of the Environmental Protection Organization with the armed personnel of the police, we see that weapons are officially assigned to them, and they are allowed to use them. However, after a violator is killed, there is no legal support for them, and rangers are condemned to retribution and even execution in ordinary courts. But if their counterpart in the police uses the same weapon, even if it results in the death of a violator or a criminal, that police officer is not detained even for an hour. This means we give the weapon to the ranger and expect them to use it, but unfortunately, their support is incomplete.' Hamidreza Kheildar, the commander of the Environmental Protection Unit, stated in a roundtable discussion about the situation of rangers in Iran that a ranger can only use a weapon to protect their life. However, the commander of the Environmental Protection Unit mentioned that sometimes work pressure and the emotional attachment to the environment that the ranger has protected for years can lead the ranger to make decisions based on emotions when shooting or confronting violators. The conflict between hunters and rangers is not about animals and game meat. It is a dispute over common resources that has very deep roots. Officials say that the number of violators in the area is high, while the number of rangers, who are considered judicial agents, is low, resulting in the wildlife statistics of the area declining day by day. However, Hamidreza Mirzadeh, an environmental researcher who has been studying the Bamu protected area for a year, states that this conflict and confrontation is not just about hunting and hunters and rangers; there is a deeper issue at play: 'The conflict between hunters and rangers is not about animals and game meat. It is a dispute over common resources that has very deep roots. The ranger is responsible for protecting a common resource that the government has taken management of. From a customary perspective, the main owner of that habitat is someone who has been living on its margins. The primary stakeholders of any habitat are the villagers and nomads, even citizens on its periphery. Now the Environmental Protection Organization claims it wants to protect this resource for its own benefit. However, over the past 45 years, we have seen that we have not been able to create benefits. Financial benefits and benefits that people can see and understand that if this habitat is protected, they will also benefit. Because the local community, while being the main stakeholders, can also be potential violators and hunters of that area. Because when they see that they are not benefiting from the land of their ancestors, they take matters into their own hands to benefit from these resources.' Increasing hunting fines has not solved the problem. Limited resources from cameras to standard ranger equipment, unsuitable and old vehicles, and weapons are among the issues that the Environmental Protection Organization faces against these forces. These issues prompted Masoumeh Ebtekar to emphasize the necessity of upgrading them at the funeral of the rangers and to urge the parliament to support the updating of environmental laws. Ismail Kahrom, who identifies himself as a fellow ranger in Iran and has years of ranger experience, believes that increasing hunting fines has not solved the problem and proposes another idea alongside upgrading ranger equipment and increasing their salaries: that the disarmament of rangers can ensure their personal safety: 'Either we must provide full support for our rangers (who have undergone judicial agent training and are qualified to carry and use weapons like those in the police) in using weapons regardless of the outcome, or we must take the weapons away from them. We cannot give a weapon to a ranger who ultimately is not supported and is condemned to retribution in court. This is not right. I believe that due to the provocation and threat that carrying a weapon inherently brings in natural areas, we should take weapons away from these rangers so that violators do not feel threatened, and on the other hand, they do not shoot.' Hamidreza Mirzadeh, an environmental researcher in Tehran, states that with the planning of the Environmental Protection Organization regarding protected areas, hunters who act without adhering to legal regulations will claim the area as their own: 'Protection must be profitable, and a significant portion of this income should be spent on the protection of the habitat itself and, at a higher priority, on the local community. So that this income can be turned into a clinic or a road for access and converted into welfare facilities, and local community members can also have jobs in this protected area. We have three income-generating areas: ecotourism, selling habitat products like wild plum trees, and thirdly trophy hunting, which has various discussions around it. Fortunately or unfortunately, the most lucrative aspect of protection is trophy hunting.' After these armed conflicts and the killing of rangers, parliament representatives are finally saying that the penalties for environmental violators must be increased to impose a heavy cost on violators. Representatives have called for the government to draft a bill to increase salaries and support for rangers and forest guards to be presented in parliament without delay. This issue has not had any priority in parliament for years, and 119 rangers and 500 hunters have lost their lives in this regard.