Opinions & Interviews

TEHRAN, 18 October (BelTA) – Iran is interested in establishing cooperation with Belarus in the field of environmental protection, Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Masoumeh Ebtekar, who also heads the Department of Environment at the Iranian President Administration, said in an interview with BelTA.

The Vice President noted that the issues of nature conservation and protection are of particular importance since human intervention can sometimes lead to irreversible consequences, and this applies to all countries. In the light of the best environmental practices developed in Iran and Belarus, the two countries might benefit from an exchange of experience, Dr. Masoumeh Ebtekar believes. Iran has a well-established practice of such international exchanges.

Dr. Masoumeh Ebtekar said that she started working in this area a very long time ago. She learned a lot from her father who was the first head of the Department of Environment at the President Administration of Iran. The department, which she is charge of today, works in four major areas: human resources, nature protection, marine conservation, education and research in environmental protection.

According to Dr. Masoumeh Ebtekar, the state has been taking serious measures to protect the rare and endangered animals, to raise public awareness of the importance of nature conservation. Among the innovations was the introduction of the nature conservation subject in schools.

Iran has 26 national parks, 35 national nature reserves, 42 protected places for wild animals, 150 environmental protected areas. All in all, there are about 270 protected natural areas of all kinds in Iran. This shows that the state attaches great attention to the theme of nature conservation.

“Respect for the nature should be at the heart of all the decisions taken by a state. Then the nature will not wage wars against human beings who themselves provoke such disasters. This is why the people of all countries should join efforts to safeguard and protect nature,” Dr. Masoumeh Ebtekar believes.