“Nature protection and biodiversity conservation did not stop,” Ansari said, praising environmental rangers, experts and provincial officials for sustaining conservation programs under difficult conditions, DOE reported.

She said multiple initiatives to safeguard endangered species remain underway across the country.

Ansari warned that climate change, drought, declining rainfall, land-use change, pollution and human encroachment continue to threaten Iran’s ecosystems and wildlife habitats. While the Asiatic cheetah has become a symbol of the country’s biodiversity, she said conservation efforts must extend beyond flagship species to include insects, plants and other lesser-known forms of life that underpin ecological balance.

“We must not overlook other endangered species,” she said, describing biodiversity as a national treasure that should be preserved for future generations.

The environment chief said protection plans have been developed for species including the great bustard, Persian fallow deer, black bear, brown bear and Eurasian lynx.

She also called for broader public and private-sector engagement, stressing that environmental stewardship “is not the responsibility of one organization alone.”

Officials used the occasion to inaugurate several new ranger stations across the country and highlight expanded deployment of smart monitoring systems, camera surveillance networks, wildlife rehabilitation facilities and firefighting centers designed to strengthen habitat protection.

Hamid Zohrabi, deputy head of the DoE for natural environment and biodiversity, said public participation and the use of modern technology form the cornerstone of the agency’s conservation strategy.

A trilateral agreement was also signed between the Department of Environment, the Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Project and Nikrun Motor Pasargad Company to support protection of the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah in its natural habitats.

Authorities additionally unveiled identification records for two cheetah cubs, Nikan and Niki, and launched the first phase of a smart modernization project at Iran’s national museum of natural history and biodiversity.