As the US and Iran continue to trade blows in the Middle East, the consequences of the intense bombings are threatening Iran’s already “fragile biodiversity”, according to The Associated Press.
Historically, Iran’s had a “deep connection” with its wildlife, being one of the first countries to form an environmental protection agency, although “decades of mismanagement and years-long drought” has placed a strain on conservationist work.
The onset of war this year has seen US and Israeli strikes on remote military facilities in deserts and mountain ranges cause “habitat degradation”, leading to “water and land pollution, soil contamination” and “destruction of land cover”, US-based Iranian wildlife expert Jamshid Parchizadeh told The Associated Press. And an animal population driven away from its habitat, like mountain-dwelling Persian leopards and brown bears, “forever leaves that area from fear”.
Land ecosystems are not the only ones at risk. The “highly contested” Strait of Hormuz is home to the “most diverse” coral population in the region, said CNN. Greenpeace researchers have been able to “regularly detect oil slicks” in the water following attacks on tankers passing through the strait.
While most of the attention has been on the urban and economic consequences of the war, the country’s animal species are “less visible victims”, said Iranian news agency Wana.
“The war has caused serious environmental degradation in a country reeling from a range of climate-related crises, water stress and air quality issues,” said the non-profit US news organisation Truthout, and Iran’s “fragile” ecosystems now face an uncertain future. When it comes to “post-conflict reconstruction”, environmental rehabilitation “often doesn’t take priority”. |
