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Delbar Tokali

Over the past two decades, environmental activists have faced many ups and downs; including the drying up of Zayandeh Rood and Lake Urmia, the martyrdom of dozens of environmentalists, illegal hunting, dam construction, and dust storms that made breathing difficult. Slowly but surely, environmental problems have gone beyond the scope of the Environmental Protection Organization and we have witnessed people chanting slogans in protest in various cities in December 2017, shouting slogans such as “Fresh air is our right!” In areas where drought and water scarcity have disrupted the lives of farmers, people have widely protested. On the other hand, the events that took place for environmental activists in the last months of 2017 have a different color and smell. The arrest of some environmental activists and the news of the arrest and death of Dr. Kavous Emami have dealt a severe blow to environmental activists. In this issue of “Peace Line” regarding the ups and downs of the environment, I sat down

What are the most important challenges that the environment of Iran is facing?

Iran is facing a crisis in soil degradation, followed by a crisis in water, biodiversity, and air pollution. In our country, we extract more from nature than we produce. For example, in a year, we have 88 cubic meters of extractable water, but we extract more than this amount in a year. This has led to a process known as “ecological debt” and is one of the main concerns in the environmental sector. The amount of water extraction in 100 main basins in the country is more than the amount of replenishment, causing the groundwater level to drop by more than two meters. There are a large number of deep and shallow wells, including illegal ones. The rate of soil erosion in Iran is more than two billion tons, and considering that each ton of soil is worth $28, we lose $56 billion annually. Furthermore, it takes 800 years for one centimeter of soil to form in Iran.

You talked about crises. But what are the ways to prevent and solve these crises?

We must change the way we develop by identifying the country’s ecological and environmental characteristics. This means changing our perspective on making money and moving away from raw sales to producing secondary products. Otherwise, we should not hope to overcome these problems. This means there will be no hope for saving Lake Urmia or the people. The weather conditions in Khuzestan will not return to normal. We must turn to renewable energy production, rather than relying on dam construction for energy. We should focus on creating a foundation for ecotourism and promoting cultural tourism, even scientific and medical tourism. We should not aim for self-sufficiency in agriculture under any circumstances.

What is the relationship between cultural tourism and preserving the environment in Iran?

“We want to generate money. The entry of tourists also comes with income. In this case, there is no need for additional digging and there is no increase in soil erosion. However, when the focus is on agriculture and “water-intensive” industries such as steel, it means using non-renewable resources and this is dangerous.”

Of course, there has always been talk about attracting tourists to Iran, and even a national plan for tourism development was written almost 15 years ago, but it has never reached the implementation stage. On the other hand, we still lack basic facilities such as roads, hotels, airports, etc. to accommodate large numbers of tourists in Iran. In light of this, what is the short-term solution for the current environmental crises?

The problem is that if we invest in the tourism industry, we have done something wise. Iran ranks among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of natural, historical, and cultural attractions, but ranks 97th in terms of tourism income. How is it possible to invest billions of dollars in building dams and factories, well, the same investments can be made for building hotels and airports. Dam construction has led to the drying up of our wetlands and destruction of our forests. Building factories has caused us to face a water crisis. If investment is made to provide infrastructure for tourists to enter the country, not only will we not be faced with problems of water scarcity and deforestation, but in the long run we can also reduce and neutralize the pressures on Iran’s environment.

We know that over the past three decades, there has been a lot of talk about this, but the tourism development plan has never reached the implementation stage and has always remained at the stage of just talk…

I apologize for interrupting you, let me explain why this project has not reached the implementation stage until now. Generally, due to cultural considerations, there is no desire for tourism to enter Iran, but now the situation has reached a point where we have no choice but to choose the real advantages of the country. In fact, experts should help to implement this change in approach for income generation in the country. We cannot solve people’s livelihood problems by beating the drum of agricultural and water industries. Crises may reach a point where we cannot compensate for them in any way; just as we sacrificed Zayandeh Rud for the Isfahan Steel Company.

You mentioned to the experts. To what extent are decision-making and power channels in the environmental organization in the hands of environmental experts?

Very little; we have always sacrificed the environment for social, political, and cultural interests. The current head of the Environmental Organization has no interest in the environment and openly declares it. The environment has become a secluded courtyard for politicians and they mostly use environmental gestures. The Environmental Organization is a weak organization and has not been allowed to grow, and there are few experienced experts working in this organization and they do not have the possibility of updating. The entire budget of the Environmental Organization is not even equal to the budget of the municipality of District 2, Region 5 of Tehran.

What is the budget of the Environmental Organization now?

It is planned for the Environmental Organization’s budget for the year 1397 to increase and reach 300 billion tomans. However, the budget for the municipality of District 2, Region 5 of Tehran is 700 billion tomans. These figures are nothing. The government’s non-refundable aid budget to free zones is at least 600 billion tomans.

“We have seen many discussions about issues such as dam construction and deforestation in the environmental sector before, but the second half of 1396 was very different for the environment. Some environmental activists were arrested and it was reported that a person like Mr. Kavous Emami committed suicide in prison. Why do you think they pointed fingers at environmental activists?”

This is a very serious question and it is a big question mark for all environmental activists, why such an event happened suddenly and we are all waiting for clarification on this matter and for the accusations to be judged in a fair court and it becomes clear what these accusations are made of. It has never happened before that those who work in the field of environment are accused of such things. Those who work in the field of environment have always been humble individuals and there has never been any attraction for business in this field. This is the first time such an event has occurred. We, as environmental activists, are shocked and have no answers.

The specific question is, what has happened in the field of environment that should not be talked about and should not be made public? Previously, the discussion was always about granting hunting permits to specific individuals, but this time the discussion has gone much further.

For years, supporters and opponents of hunting have been debating. Those who are in favor of animals reject the idea of making income through killing animals. On the other hand, there are those who say that if hunting is done properly and only leads to the removal of old animals from the herd, and the income from hunting is allocated to the local community, it can reduce conflicts and decrease the losses that occur in the area of environmental protection. The income from hunting can be used for nature conservation. For example, in one of the regions of Kerman, this happened and the local community made $35,000 from selling hunting permits and they were able to hire guards to protect the area. In fact, the plan for protective areas is being implemented based on this argument. The policy of the Environmental Organization is to distance itself from the monopoly that existed and make the presence of people’s organizations more specialized in the field of environment.

As you know, we have rare species in our country and some used to hunt and capture those species for their own gain. Do hunters still use the excuse of hunting butterflies to engage in animal trafficking?

Most of those who hunt butterflies want to hunt goats, deer, sheep, or rams with longer horns, and these individuals are mostly collectors of these horns. They only hunt for the purpose of setting a record in their collection. Usually, the environmental organization is very careful in issuing hunting permits and, alongside hunters, there have been one or two environmental guards to ensure that they do not violate the hunting permit they have. Rare species in Iran such as the Persian wild goat, Asiatic cheetah, and black grouse have not yet been issued hunting permits.

Coincidentally, my question is about illegal hunting that takes place under the pretext of having a hunting license.

Yes, illegal hunting has always existed. Supporters of hunting say: if you legalize hunting, hunters will not allow illegal hunters to enter the area. But when hunting is completely banned, all factors come together to cause more damage to nature.

You mentioned a good point, in recent years we have encountered many cases where rangers have been attacked by illegal hunters. What measures have been taken to ensure the safety of these individuals? In case of an incident where rangers and environment protectors need assistance, how possible is it to provide quick aid in protected areas?

In my opinion, the most important task that needs to be done is to increase the environmental and ecological literacy of the people. A serious educational and training work should be carried out on children and students so that everyone understands that protecting the environment is one of the most important social responsibilities. Unfortunately, about 130 environmental activists have been martyred in the country so far. Many local communities do not have enough knowledge and do not know how protecting the environment can benefit everyone. However, the Environmental Organization has supported the establishment of nature schools in the past four years. Children should have the opportunity to fall in love with their land. Children who fall in love with their land before the age of 12 will have more motivation to increase their knowledge in the field of the environment. It is expected that when such a generation reaches a managerial position and takes responsibility, they will behave in a way that conflicts less with the environment and reduces many of the challenges that currently exist. But at the same time, we must

I saw a report about buying and selling different species online; it’s so openly done that illegal hunting and trading of these animals is taking place. Does the Department of Environment not address these issues? How can we prevent these incidents from happening again?

Usually during the days of Nowruz, the smuggling of “Luristani salamanders” increases. Or some species like “hoobereh” are smuggled for sheikhs. In the past years, a lot of effort has been made to discover these gangs. But due to the lack of resources, it cannot be said that this trend has completely stopped. However, media activities have been carried out and non-profit organizations supporting the environment have also done a lot of activities. I myself have witnessed that people now want less “salamanders” on their Haft Seen table. They have realized that the “Iranian salamander” is a valuable and endangered species and must be protected. Also, fewer families buy “squirrels” for their children’s entertainment; because they know that squirrels should be in nature and in the forests of Zagros and Hyrcania, and help with reforestation. With the increase in people’s awareness, we are witnessing a

Do we have enough veterinarians ready to respond in a timely manner to injured animals in the protected area?

Compared to other countries in the region, our number of veterinarians is good, but the Environmental Organization does not have enough budget to hire more veterinarians. As a result, we are facing a shortage of specialized personnel and veterinarians in our departments, and our wildlife is disappearing due to the lack of veterinary care.

If we want to have a summary, we can say that we are facing shortages and crises in all environmental areas in Iran.

People and leaders of Iran see the environment as a savings account that they can use whenever they need money, and they believe that this savings account always has a balance. We have not yet reached the highest level of management in the country where the environment is seen as a platform for development, and preserving the environment and its values should be the top priority of the country. There is a film that shows how millions of people living around Lake Urmia have migrated to other places, while in the field of water conservation in Lake Urmia, it was claimed that the surrounding lands should be irrigated and measures were taken for employment, which ultimately led to this disaster for Lake Urmia. Our biggest environmental crisis is the profit-oriented view of the environment. This attitude must change and the environment should take the lead in our country’s development plans.