On the edge of Dasht-e-Kavir, the central deserts of Iran in Yazd province, the rarest member of the cat family, the proud Asiatic Cheetah dwells in the labyrinths of the gravel canyons in Bafq Protected Area. This is a visit to one of a string of conservation sites overseen by the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP). A legacy of the recent years’ draught and the existing iron mines shakes the land, pushing the wild life to the margins of existence. It is hard to imagine that anything dwells in the aloof panorama; however, together with nine other protected areas, Darreh Anjeer [the Figs Valley] counts as one of the last strongholds for the rare Asiatic Cheetah, a few species of Cheetah preys and other species like hayenas. It is March but the temperature is well above 35 º C. Driving on a bumpy road, I am thinking of the recently diminishing territories in which the Asiatic Cheetah once used to roam from the Mediterranean all the way to India. Like a ‘dying lake’, however, the Cheetah habitats have shrunk.

In 2001, the project kicked off, designed to enable the conservation of the Cheetah, the related complex of the endangered wild species and their natural habitats. A central theme of the Project was the support of local communities, and therefore, the required capacity/awareness building, and finally, direct action to improve enforcement of laws and regulations were taken into account as a central part of the activities.  The Project also looked into emergency measures focusing at improving the Cheetahs survival in the immediate future, to ensure that viable Cheetah populations survive to benefit from the longer-term impacts of the Project. Providing community education and seeking a reduction in the number of the annual gun licenses issued were among them. Enhancing a scientific understanding of the Cheetah, its associated biota, habitats and the threats that they face were also among the objectives sought. It took a leap of faith and persuasive efforts to involve the officials and local communities; so that they come to believe what an impeccable impact the project could have on the balance in the ecosystem of the protected areas.

As a result of the Project, the status of the key Cheetah habitats was raised:  protected areas and wildlife refuges covering a sum of 3,770,000 ha in Nãybandãn, Khãrtourãn and Darreh Anjeer have turned into wild life refuges, protected areas and national parks respectively. To further enhance the rule of supporting laws, the fines for illegal poaching the Cheetahs were raised from US$ 2,500 to US$ 12,500. A group of 35 game guards have been recruited and trained and seven new guards’ stations have been established.  To further chase the Cheetahs, GIS maps have been prepared to identify their habitats. This has paved the ground for the further developments in the scientific achievements of the Project: young Iranian engineers are looking at manufacturing in-land satellite collars to track the Cheetahs. They have also developed camera-traps, the findings of which have contributed largely to enriching the data regarding not only the Cheetahs, but also other species and wild life in the protected areas.

In terms of socio-economic impacts, a study of the communities living in the proximity to Cheetahs habitats found immaculate impacts caused by awareness raising activities among the communities, leading into a sense of ownership and pride in the Cheetahs. The collaboration of the civil society was outstanding in terms of assisting the Project in data collection: 44 volunteers, specialists and local game guards carried out Cheetah sampling in adverse working conditions for over 15 days.

The Project has helped raise the status of the key Cheetah habitats.   3,770,000 hectares in Nãybandãn, Khãrtourãn and Darreh Anjeer have turned into wild life refuges, protected areas, and national parks respectively, fines for illegal poaching of the Cheetahs have been raised from US$ 2,500 to US$ 12,500.  35 game guards have been recruited and trained, and seven new guards’ stations have been established.  To further track  the Cheetahs, GIS maps have been prepared to identify their habitats, providing the opportunity also to young Iranian engineers to look at manufacturing satellite collars in Iran to track the Cheetahs, developing  camera-traps, and contributing to the data not only the Cheetahs, but also other wild life in the protected areas.

CACP and the Millennium Development Goals

According to the MDGs progress report in the I.I. Iran, similar to the rich plant diversity, a remarkable animal biodiversity has evolved in Iran, such that a wide spectrum of mammals, birds, marine creatures, amphibians and reptiles can be observed.

The number of the mammals in Iran is estimated at around 164, which almost equals the total number of mammal species in the entire Europe. Protection and preservation of the valuable heritage aforementioned has constantly been considered as one of the most important objectives of the Government.

In its efforts in line with conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah, the Project has been seeking to achieve objective 2 of the Millennium Development Goal No. 7: Ensure Environmental sustainability; i.e. reducing biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss. With results relenting from the Project, now the CACP is becoming subject to national pride and huge international interest. The Asiatic cheetah has now been saved from extinction, with a population of about 70.

We trudge on the slopes of the mountain where we hope to find a trace of Cheetahs—it is that time of the spring, when the females move higher up the canyons to chamber in their hiding dens and deliver two to three off-springs. A neatly eaten skeleton of a baby wild goat indicates that the Cheetahs and perhaps the Hyenas, which consume the remains of other predator carnivores, have been here.

The dedication of the game guards is exemplary. Abbas Shamsaiee, a veteran game guard for over 28 years, tells me about raising awareness among local communities and the culture of taking pride in the unique and unexpected wild inhabitants of their areas. He adds while gazing at the distance, perhaps to where mother Cheetah is perching, ‘I tell you; it is love at the first sight. I have not seen anyone seeing eye to eye with a Cheetah that has not fallen in love with it.

The Project has made great achievements. However, meeting the capacity building needs of the Project through working with UNDP Iran and simultaneously raising the bar for the local communities’ understanding of the Project work have effectively demonstrated the potential for a sustainable partnership, as the Project gets ready to leap into its new phase.

On the plane, I look over the canyons and think of the unique gem they safeguard within their labyrinths, and hope that the lessons-learnt from the Asian Cheetah Conservation Project could serve as an invaluable assistance to indigenous communities and environmental protection in the region and the world, to enhance effective partnerships to protect and sustain endangered species and habitats.