Iran discusses conservation of endangered species with IUCN

Tehran, IRNA – An Iranian delegation attending the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) has held talks with officials of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on protecting endangered species and expanding joint cooperation.

According to a press release by the Public Relations Office of Iran’s Department of Environment on Friday, Hamid Zohorabian, the department’s deputy chairperson and head of the Iranian delegation to COP17 in Armenia, met with Vivek Menon, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), to discuss ways to cooperate on endangered species conservation.

The heads of the IUCN’s regional offices for Central Asia and Eastern Europe also attended the meeting.

Discussions focused on conservation and recovery programs for the Asiatic cheetah, the great bustard and the Persian onager, as well as their habitats. The reintroduction of the Persian fallow deer into its natural habitats was also discussed.

The two sides also explored technical, scientific and funding cooperation amid sanctions against Iran.