Mountain Partnership

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Iran

National Committee

The lead organization for International Year of Mountains, the Mountain Environment Protection Society (MEPS), worked extremely hard to encourage the formation of a national committee. In July 2000 the Faculty of Environment made the first public announcement that Iran was to celebrate International Year of Mountains. The committee met for the first time in February 2002, when objectives for International Year of Mountains were set out and participants were encouraged to develop local initiatives for the observance of the Year. The I. R. Iran Coordinating Committee for the International Year of Mountains immediately set out to organize activities, assemble a database on Iran's mountains and disseminate information throughout the country.

Composition of national committee

The committee brought together 60 government and non-governmental organizations representing all sectors regarded important and directly related with mountain environment and resource allocation. The committee was coordinated by MEPS, and aimed to work towards future policy-making.

Government

Department of Environment
Ministry of Agriculture
Budget and Planning Organisation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Forest and Rangeland Organisation
Watershed Management Society

UN

UNESCO
UNDP
FAO

NGO

MAB (Man and Biosphere)

Research

Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran

Preparatory activities for the International Year of Mountains

The International Day of Clean Mountains in September 2000 and 2001 and other clean-up campaigns were used to inform the public about the objectives of the Year.

Activities and achievements during the International Year of Mountains

National

A two-day conference on 'Environmental Sustainability of Mountains' was held in Tehran (8-9 December). Among the main themes of the conference were mountain environments, social, economic and cultural aspects of mountain living, planning, management and ecotourism.

The 2002 Dryland Change Conference was hosted by the University of Yazd. Yazd province is located in central Iran, the highest point of which is more than 4,000 m. Since 1998, annual precipitation in Yazd has dropped from up to 100 mm to less than 30 mm.

The Department of Environment designated four new National Heritage sites; Damavand, Sabalan, Alamkouh and Taftan.

Civil society

Sporting and scientific excursions were organized.

I.R. Iran Mountaineering Federation ran an International Championship in Arak (20-22 February).

Public awareness campaigns

Many thousands of posters, brochures and stickers were distributed throughout the country. Lectures and conferences were also organized on mountain themes in different locations.

There was extensive radio, television and newspaper coverage of the Year and its aims.

New legislation:

An information package was presented to the Iranian Supreme Council of the Environment National Committee for Sustainable Development, in order to promote legislation on mountains. The national committee for International Year of Mountains proposed the creation of a Mountain sub-committee within the National Committee for Sustainable Development (already established by the Department of Environmental Protection Agency), in order to promote legislation on mountains. Once approved, this will be the first body to recognize mountains officially in Iran.

Publications

Why Mountains Matter
Alphabet of Mountain Environment in Arid High Plateaus of Iran
Mountain Ecosystems in Iran

Beyond the International Year of Mountains

The International Year of Mountains was judged a 'complete success' because of its international dimension and because it coincided with a very rainy year in Iran, thus helping to underline the impact of global climate changes and the reliance on snow for water, and as a consequence, the paramount importance of mountain issues.

The national committee helped to raise awareness on issues that had previously been largely ignored: the vital role of mountains and the need to preserve their fragile ecosystems. Another important development was the recognition that ties need to be strengthened with research centres, and that a structural analysis of mountain issues in terms of environment and also socio-cultural aspects is needed. There is now a plan to establish a mountain research centre, probably through international, bilateral or regional collaboration - ICIMOD in Nepal has already proposed aid.

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