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The environmental limitations and future of the Asiatic cheetah in Iran Hormoz Asadi. Member IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. Tehran, Iran. Unpublished project progress report, 1997. 1. Introduction Iran is a developing country with a large population. which has increased by 50% in the past 20 years. The country is now facing the imminent extinction of many native flora and fauna species because of rapid alteration of their natural environment, coupled with poor management and over-exploitation. Two decades of exploitation have destroyed much of its natural resources. The estimated rate of desertification is about two million ha. per year. National parks and other protected areas have been the most hard-hit areas. with the maximum destruction occurring between 1978 and 1990. In addition to direct killing and shooting of wildlife, particularly game animals and migratory waterfowl, the major cause of the rapid decline in the wildlife resources of Iran has been habitat disturbance. About 96% of the natural habitat of the country has now been altered. Another major cause of wildlife loss has been the commercial exploitation of certain wildlife species, e.g. gazelles, leopards, falcons, bustards. partridges. waterfowl and crocodiles. These wildlife species have been over-harvested from the wild mainly for export, without any concern for conservation and replenishment measures, resulting in a drastic fall in their populations. Under such pressure. some species may already be extinct and some brought to the verge of extinction, among them the Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx venaticus. The small population of the Asiatic cheetah in Iran is the only one remaining in the world. One young female is held in a government captive facility in Tehran, but there is no specimen in any zoo. There is little doubt that cheetah numbers have declined in the past 20 years, but lack of reliable estimates precludes any calculation of the rate of decline. The increase in the human population has led to extensive loss of habitat and conversion of land which itself would have caused a decline in cheetah numbers. The Iranian wildlife authorities have been aware of the pmblem, but there have been no specific cheetah conservation programmes, and only legal protection has been provided. Nevertheless, the cheetah has persisted in some protected areas. although these areas have lacked protection on the ground. Collecting country-wide data and information on these subjects is difficult, and there are currently no quantitative data. The cheetah’s main prey species, dorcas gazelle Gazella dorcas and goitred gazelle Gazella subgutturosa, formerly had a geographic distribution similar to that of the cheetah, but they have suffered a substantial reduction in both range and number in the past 20 years. It is possible that the current distribution of cheetah parallels the present distribution of gazelles, if habitat loss and persecution are primarily responsible for the cheetah’s decline. The relative reasons and importance of habitat loss and reduction in ungulate biomass and number of cheetah may tier from region to region. The position of the cheetah in Iran is indeterminate. While reduced in numbers, the cheetah is now apparently extending its range. The species is presently distributed throughout the plateau region to a varying degree. but information is scant. Early records, which consist of occasional sightings in well-known habitats, provide little insight into the abundance of cheetahs The cheetah population in Iran never approached the densities seen in Africa. Nevertheless, in view of the vastness of the plateau region, it is probable that about 200 cheetahs existed before the Islamic revolution in 1978. During the revolution, a decrease in cheetah numbers became apparent, due in part to pursuit of cheetahs by well-armed hunters, but probably in a larger measure due to the slaughter of gazelles and other prey species. In the absence of any conservation work or protective measures for six years from 1979 to 1985, the cheetah was all but eradicated from some of its habitat by the mid-1980s. Since then, Iran’s desert and semidesert have displayed overwhelming evidence of accelerated degradation of ecosystems. If nothing is done to arrest the decline in the number of cheetahs, there is no doubt that this flagship species will be extinct in the near future. The desert habitat has improved since 1990. This has resulted in an increase in the herbivore population which had dropped to almost zero in some areas. But the rate of increase is slow. While poaching of cheetahs is prohibited, protection is not enough to ensure its survival. To save the cheetah, its food must be saved, i.e. gazelles first and foremost. Existing protection measures are not sufficient to permit wildlife populations to increase to sustainable levels, and protection needs to be backed up by improvement of habitats. The study indicated that the relative reasons and importance of habitat loss and reduction in ungulate biomass and number of cheetah differs from region to region in Iran. In Yazd and southern Khorasan, mining activities are causing considerable problems for cheetahs. In Kennan, Fars, Isfahan. and Semnan provinces, spreading agriculture and industries have reduced habitat available for cheetahs, while in the central and northern edge of the desert. the northern and eastern region of Khosh Yeilagh Protected Area, Golestan National Park and the northern part of Khorasan. Increasing use of firearms and increasing numbers of livestock must have been important in lowering ungulate densities and causing trouble for cheetahs. Baluchistan province, including eastern Yazd and Kennan provinces up to the border with Pakistan and Macran region have been, and still are, centres of drug smuggling and armed disputes, run by outlaws. Here not only wild life, but very often humans, become the targets of killers. Increased human and livestock populations, combined with poor agricultural practices, have reduced wildlife habitats, and there is widespread and uncontrolled hunting throughout the desert. Greater use of vehicles and modern guns by hunters has the potential to remove animals from major habitats, and is an active threat to wildlife. Today, nearly one million hunting gun licenses are issued, with an annual quota of 300 bullets provided by the State. As a result, populations of most wildlife species, game and nongame, protected and unprotected have been reduced to a minimum. These problems have been obvious in Iran for sometime, but nobody cared and no reliable censuses have been taken of major wildlife species to assess their status. As a result, most species are not labelled with the IUCN categories of Extinct, Endangered or Vulnerable. It would be reasonable to say that the status of most major species in Iran falls into the category of Data Deficient. The perception of threat currently focuses on the cheetah, leopard, bear, gazelles, wild sheep, wild goat, wild ass and deer. Despite all this, there is firm evidence of the continued survival of a small population of the Asiatic cheetah in Iran. 2. Methods From July to December 1997. a preliminary study was carried out to obtain basic information on the cheetah in Iran, evaluating past and recent status, location of populations, and conservation measures taken. 2.1. Field work The areas surrounding Garmsar, Damghan, Semnan, the Khar-Touran NP and Khosh-Yeilagh PA in the north, and areas surrounding the Kalmand PA, Bafgh, and Mahreez region in the south were surveyed from August to December 1997, mainly to gather more evidence of the presence/absence of cheetahs and possible conflict with humans in the areas, and to assess the threats posed to long-term survival of the cheetah. Much of the information about cheetah habitats was obtained from interviews with hunters and villagers who had either previously encountered the animal in the wild or killed it. Habitat assessment mainly in terms of the cheetah’s wild prey, was carried out. 2.2. Interviews and literature Presence of cheetahs for each area was tallied using various published and file documents as sources of information for the past 30 years. In addition to these sources. several wardens, agricultwists, state wildlife officials and local hunters provided valuable information about the current presence/absence of cheetahs. The files of the Department of the Environment also provided valuable information. 2.3. Knowledge of people and officials Little information could be gathered from junior wildlife officials or wildlife experts, since the former had been in the field without training for only the past couple of years, and the latter had not been in the field as far as the cheetah is concerned for the past 20 years. The knowledge of senior staff, some of whom had grown up in the areas, was valuable. There were. also some notable exceptions, whose detailed and critical observations provided valuable data. Some older sport hunters with a profound interest in and knowledge of wildlife were a very great help. 3. Historic distribution of the cheetah in Iran Until about 100 years ago, the Asiatic cheetah was widely distributed throughout much of Asia. The distribution stretched from Palestine to Iran, and to the Arabian peninsula and eastward through Afghanistan to the Indian subcontinent. But over the years a combination of habitat conversion and killing eliminated the species from much of its range. At the turn of the century the only population that was known to have any long-term suvival prospects was in Iran. About 35 years ago, cheetah distribution still extended from the Kavir NP in the north-east through the Khar-Touran NP to the Khosh-Yeilagh PA and the Miandasht PA in the westem part of Khorasan province and down through the Mooteh PA to the Bahram-e-Gour PA in the southern part of Fars province. The southern zone of the desert that contained cheetahs extended from Fars province in the west to the northern part of Bandar-Abbas and into the southern Karman and the eastern Yazd. The distribution area was about 400,000 km2. Much of this area consists of vast expanses of desert, arid mountain ranges, or heavily dissected terrain (Map 4). In the 1970s, about 200 cheetah were estimated to survive in seven reserves of varying size within the desert region known as the Kavir. They were Bahram-e-Gour Protected Area, Kalmand Protected Arca. K&r-Markazi National Park Khar-Touran National Park and Protected Area. Khosh-Yeilagh Protected Area and Wildlife Refuge, Miandasht Wildlife Refuge and Mooteh Protected Area. Their size and location are found in Table 1 and Map 2. Table 1. See also Map 2.
4. Current range of the cheetah in Iran Recent information indicates that the current range of the cheetah in Iran covers about 200,000 km2. Much of this terrain consists of vast expanses of desert, arid mountain ranges. and heavily dissected terrain, largely unpopulated except for herdsmen. Adding to the difficulty of conserving cheetahs over the plateau region is their apparent tendency to occupy foothills and mountains to the exclusion of plains in the main areas. The last stronghold of the cheetah appears to be the Kavir NP, through the south of Garmsar, Damghan, Semnan, Shahroud and the Khar-Touran NP into the Tabas and Nayband regions in the southern part of Khorasan province. The area inhabited by cheetahs amounts to about 130,000 km2. However, the species range is not limited to these areas, but extends into the Bafgh, Ardakan and the Kalmand PA to the south, and into the Naian, Khoor and Beeyabanak in the east of Isfahan province, amounting to about 70,000 km2. The species presence in these areas is known because they have been sighted. The above presents a general picture of cheetah range. There is an urgent need for surveys to determine the whereabouts of viable populations. This applies particularly to the remaining unfragmented area in the centre of the desert, and other areas across the frontiers in Pakistan and Turkmenistan. 5. Preliminary description of cheetah populations in Iran (Map 1).
Circumstantial evidence indicates definite dispersal of cheetahs from the Khosh-Yeilagh and Miandasht PAs towards southern Khorasan unprotected zone, where cheetahs were thought to be scarce in the past. The cheetahs began to disperse as early as 1980, presumably to obtain food, shelter, and mates, and to avoid enemies -- rather than to occupy new territory for its own sake. It is not clear which corridors they used. It is not yet known whether th edispersed cheetahs have established themselves in the new territory. There is no data available about their breeding or whether any young have been able to survive. It is also not known if cheetah numbers and the rate of increase are suitably adjusted to the new environment. These cheetahs might be able to adapt and establish themselves for some time, but in the absence of protective measures they may die out. There are no other data on the population status, but this survey indicates that there are at least 15 to 20 cheetahs in southern Khorasan. Groups of 5-8 cheetahs arc reported to have been hunting mainly wild sheep Ovis orientalis in areas of rolling hills.(Map1: PA) 5.2. Population B The second population surviving in unprotected areas is in the Bafgh regton of Yazd province. Records of cheetahs from the area go back to the 1970s. Much of this region consists of arid mountain ranges, largely unpopulated. There were reports that cheetahs hunted wild sheep in this dissected terrain. Population estimates are very difticult, but probably 10 to 15 cheetahs still survive in the region, including Kalmand PA. (Map 1: PB) 5.3. Population C In the unprotected area of eastern Isfahan, the terrain consists of vast expanses of desert, unpopulated except for herdsman grazing their goats and camels. In the past, most reports corresponded with the known areas of gazelle populations, which are very low at present. On the other hand, livestock numbers have increased. Poison has been put in camel carcasses by herdsmen in an attempt to kill cheetahs. The region might support 5-10 cheetahs, widely scattered throughout the region. (Map 1: PC) 5.4. Population D In Kavir NP cheetah reports are frequent in this vast desert and dissected arid mountains. The population estimate is l0-15, and the range corresponds well with the area of gazelle populations. (Map 1: PD) 5.5. Population E In Garmsar. Damghan and Semnan unprotected areas in the northern part of the plateau, the current population number is 5-10 cheetahs, mainly concentrated near human areas, which consist mainly of agricultural farmlands. There is reason to be cautious about the future of this population. (Map 1: PE) 5.6. Population F The Khar-Tooran NP and PA may possess the highest cheetah density in Iran. Cheetah reports are frequent here, but are of varying degrees of credibility. The population estimate for this vast expanse of desert terrain is 15 to 20 cheetahs. (Map 1: PF) 6. Location records for cheetah in Iran over the past 20 years For many years past, there have been reports of cheetahs in and around the desert and steppes of Iran from hunters. wildlife wardens, miners and farmers. The sighting of eight animals was reported during the Islamic Revolution of 1978. Some cheetahs might have been poached or captures and quite a few may have succumbed when chased by people in four-wheel drive cars. Ten cheetahs were sighted in Kavir NP between 1978 and 1985: one female with one cub aged about eight months: a fcmale with two cubs of about eight months: one dead cheetah. unknown sex: and four male cheetahs. All were sighted in the months af October and November in an area of about 1.540 km’. The locations were in rolling hills of the Chashmceh Ghaleeh. Tangeh Shah; Chashmech Ein-ul-Rashid and the Plateau of Shakar-Ab. near a spring. During the wnc years, there were sightings of many woIves and over 1.000 gazelles in the same area. The concentration appears to have been due to the presence of livestock in other parts of the national park and the presence of military with heavy weapons exercising elsewhne. Today, the same area supports no more than 30 gazelles and only two cheetahs (Asghar-Toufighi enforcement personnel, Kavir NP, pers. comm.).
7. Population estimates (Figure 5) From August 1981 to September 1997, personnel of the range provinces of the Department of the Environment reported deaths and sighting of 54 cheetahs in widely separated localitics. The data indicated a maximum 57 and minimum 54 animals. Population estimates arc very difficult to achieve, but it appears that the total population certainly exceeds 50 individuals. and probably does not exceed 100, or an average density of 1/2000 km2. The total number of cheetahs in national parks and protected areas was 23: 12 in Khar-Touran NP, seven in Kavir NP, one in Parvar PA, one in Bahram-e-Gour PA, and two in Khabar PA. The number of cheetahs outside protected areas seems to be higher compared to than inside protected areas. In the area between Kavir NP and Khar-Touran NP, there were nine cheetahs: 10 cheetahs in the south-central province of Yazd, and 10 in southern Khorasan. Data with supporting documents of fhe death of cheetahs in the past 14 years showed that the total number killed was 12, which might represent one-fifth of the total population in the country. There wre five cheetahs killed in three years in the Bafgh region, and three in southern Khorasan. Deaths reported from protected areas were: two in the Kavir NP and two, most probably, in the Khar-Touran NP. This high death rate must be halted urgently, given the low population of cheetahs. These accounts may have included some duplication, but in view of the topography and the difficulty it imposes on sighting the count quite likely represents the minimum population. 8. Threats to the cheetah in Iran Much concern has been generated regarding the plight of the cheetah all over the country, but little effort has been made to do something to halt the high death rate. According to information based on reports by wildlife officials, many deaths are not reported by shepherds and villagers and are not noted by officials and therefore go unrecorded. Conflict and friendships between officials of the Department of the Environment and universities and influential rural hunters in the provinces have also allowed illegal activities to go undetected, adding to the cheetah’s problems. The six protected areas known to have cheetahs now have a low number of herbivores, a low level of protection and high pressure from livestock grazing. The number of the cheetahs in some of these sites (Khar-Touran, Kavir-Markazi, Parvar and Bahram-e-gour) varies because some of them may visit other zones for a time and then return to the original habitat. Outside protected areas. cheetahs break up into smaller units and individuals move independently in unprotected zones near human habitation, thereby becoming vulnerable to direct persecution by humans, either shepherds or local hunters, because they become dependent on livestock. They also become an easy targets for people in four-wheel drive vehicles and motorbike riders, who chase cheetahs, which may be captured, scared out of the area, or, in most instances, die of exhaustion. There is no report of any sighting or any sign of cheetah from Miandasht, Khosh-Yeilagh or Mooteh protected areas in recent years, although cheetah deaths and illegal hunting have been reported, some of which have been highlighted in the press (see news clipping attached to this report). Human/cheetah conflict in unprotected zones of the country where there are gazelles. which live close to human habitations and cultivation is serious, because there are gazelles feeding on crops and cheetahs searching for prey in the same vicinity. Systematic research and educational prograrmnes must form the basis for improved management of gazelles. The project must include a study to ascertain the present status of the many cheetah conflicts near human habitation. It would then be essential to work out ways and means of reducing these conflicts, which result in much damage and destruction of wildlife and cultivation. However. the main threats to the cheetah population are poaching and habitat destruction. 8.1 Habitat and prey base destruction The problem of the cheetah provides yet another compelling argument for ending the practices leading to the desertification that has been sweeping much of the region, and which is turning large areas into degraded environments of no economic or wildlife value. The areas it inhabits represent the few unfragmented desert habitats left in Iran, which still support some wildlife species. Much of the area is between l00-600 metres in altitude and is characterised bv ranges of low hills, with a derelict look burned by the sun. A desolate scene is inevitable, the product of aridity, for rainfall is only 180 mm. a year, much of it falling between December and April. The dry season extends from June to October. The vegetation belongs to the deserts and steppes of Central Asia. Here and there are stunted acacias, which have been cut and left to die. Some sandy flats are abandoned fields where an itinerant settler coaxed a crop before giving up the soil to the winds. Herds of black-haired goats, thin. bony creatures, scour the terrain, leaving only thorny and ill-tasting plants in their wake. Had humans not misused this land, we would be walking through woodland, with wild asses standing in the broad-crowned shade of acacias, and cheetahs stalking unsuspecting gazelles. The woodlands are gone now, the rivers dry except after a downpour, and only a few of the cheetahs, gazelles and wild asses remain in isolated populations throughout the desert. 8.2. Poaching In the past, hunters killed cheetahs for trophies, trade and fun. Today, poaching is the most serious threat facing the cheetah, given the small number of animals. In each population there may be only l-15 animals. Given the uncertain sex ratio, poaching of any animal could easily undermine the long-term survival of the species. The problem is further compounded by the fact that there are many guns and rifles freely available for anyone wishing to poach, a legacy of the long war with Iraq. Besides, hunting is a traditional way of life for many Iranians. Most of them do not realize the importance of the cheetah in the scheme of things. Mining The cheetah area is rich in commerciallv and industrially important minerals which are being exploited by the Department of Mines. The most important-and also the biggest.operations are the coal mines in the Nayband region of southern Khorasan province, which has the largest population of cheetahs outside the protected areas and where there are already cheetah casualties. The second largest mining operation is for iron ore in Bafgh in Yazd province. This region also contains a large population of cheetahs outside protected areas, the largest in the southern part of the country. The third largest mining operation is for copper in the Zarand region of Kerman province, an area within the range of the cheetah. Mining itself is not a direct threat to cheetahs, but construction of motorable roads makes cheetah areas accessible to people -- including poachers. Forhmately, the mines belong to the Government, and so it is possible to seek its cooperation for conservation of the cheetahs. 8.4. Livestock grazing Livestock grazing without consideration for the capacity of the range and the season has been one of the pnmary agents of destruction of natore throughout Asia, and Iran is no exception. The number of livestock in Iran is three times more than the range can support. Rangelands in Iran are estimated to cover 90 million ha. The rangelands are divided into three categories according to herbage yield: 12 million ha. summer ranges At present much of the area is relatively unproductive doe to the pattern of grazing domestic animals. The rangelands produce only 10 million metric tonnes of herbage annually, which can feed 50 million livestock, but at the present time, 150 million head of livestock are grazing there. Almost all rural people resident within cheetah habitat have goats and sheep. The problem was a major hindrance to conservation of wildlife in the past. However, livestock gazing has become a widespread commercial venture, and overgrazing is common. The protected areas are also the most obvious choice of the grazers because they are productive. Most rural people do not realise the damage causedby their actions. However, there are legal possibilities of working out a solution between the Department of the Environment and the Department of Forest and Range Management to control livestock grazing in protected areas, or at least in the core areas or in particular national parks. if the departments are willing to do so. 8.5. Inbreeding depression Given the small population and fragmented distributioon cheetahs in Iran may already suffer from loss of genetic diversity through random loss of rare genes and increased inbreeding. An immediate effect of the depletion of genetic variability is increasing homozygosity of the individuals in the population. This can lead to lower birth rates, birth defects, higher mortality. and vulnerability to disease and parasites. Inbreeding depression does not necessarily mean the end of the population if corridors to link sub-populations can be established and maintained. and cheetahs are given the opportunity to recover quickly over a few generations. Viability can be assured. even at a lower level of genetic variance. 8.6. Other issues The existing protection principles for wildlife resources follow conventional strategies that do not recognize participation of local communities in the planning and management of wildlife habitats. The Wildlife Act assumes that the entire responsibility for protection and management of wildlife should be borne by the government alone. This clearly shows the concept of isolating the people from any protection and management of their natural heritage. Such a conventional approach is contributing to the destruction of wildlife resources, as well as natural habitats. Though wildlife conservation receives high priority in principle, the budget allocation and its utilization, and project performance in successive plan periods, reveal weak implementational capability by the concerned agencies. Often the enforcement of existing wildlife laws seems minimal or almost non-existent. The Department of the Environment itself suffers from a lack of sufficient and trained staff. insufficient training opportunities, inadequate funds; and institutional bottlenecks. Furthermore. current conservation efforts are limited by the lack of popular awareness about the importance of a healthy environment. Commercial interest in wildlife trade has further accelerated the rate of exploitation. The growth rate in exports indicates the urgency of addressing the issue. The products are taken directly from the wild without any knowledge of the existing population or the allowable maximun sustainable yield and without undertaking any measures for replenishment or allowing sufficient time for natural regeneration. This is largely responsible for the rapid depletion of wildlife populations that has led to unprecedented local extinctions. In Iran. there is a dearth of in-depth information relating to the ecological and behavioural characteristics of the wildlife species we wish to conserve. There are not even any reliable current estimates of the fauna1 diversity, respective populations and distribution patterns, or knowledge of which species are threatened, endangered or already extinct. Research on ecological and behavioral characteristics, status, distribution and zoological aspects of wildlife is still not even in the planning stage. 9. Recommendations The cheetah is an indicator species of the health of its environment because it occupies the peak of an ecological pyramid dependent on abundant prey. which itself. depends on vegetation and the organisms which make nature work. Most of the known habitat of the species has been degraded and needs restoration and enrichment. Few data have been collected on major wildlife species, even in protected areas. Such data are necessary if an effective management plan is to be drawn up. Therefore, management of the desert ecosystem is essential to ensure that the fall spectrum of wild nature is maintained or,where necessary, restored. Insufficient data are available on the natural history of the cheetah in Iran: its population characteristics, distribution and migration patterns and other movement to make detailed recommendations on future management. No reliable information is available on births and deaths in order to ascertain if cheetah populations are growing or decreasing. No data are available on the feeding habits of the cheetah in Iran, but anecdotal reports indicate that they take gazelles and hares Lepus capensis. Cheetahs are also reported to kill wild sheep and, possiblyeven wild goats Capra aegagrus in areas of rolling hills and mountains. The following measures are required: 9.1. Habitat Detailed survevs of habitats and species distribution patterns should be undertaken to assess the extent to which the full range of biological diversity is represented within protected areas; to identify priority areas rich in species for conservation; and to examine the management status of a number of conservation areas in which cheetahs occur in Iran with respect to both the conservation of the species and provision for local people. Aerial surveys of desert regions should be undertaken where dangerous terrain makes it inadvisable to use vehicles, with a view to locating wildife concentrations and suitable areas for management of desert species. Cheetah reserves for inclusion in the protected area system should be established. Areas within Khorasan, Yazd and Damghan provinces should receive special attention. Livestock grazing in protected areas must be eliminated and controlled outside them to protect fragile desert habitat. 9.2. Law enforcement Illegal hunting and poaching must be brought under control, for which a considerable increase in personnel, equipment and training is required. National and international cooperation is necessary. A moratorium on hunting should be considered for some parts of the country. A wildlife school to train wildlife officers and wardens is needed to upgrade the quality. as well as the number. of personnel of the Department of Environment in order to reduce and control the number of illicit cheetah killings and captures, and improvement of general wildlife law enforcement. 9.3. Captive studies Systematic study of the cheetah in captivity in Pardisan Park in Tehran should be carried out in a proper environment to provide data to assist management in the wild. 9.4. Education and public awareness Public awareness and ecodovelopment progmmmes are needa with cooperation between the Department of Environment. media. and local communities in cheetah range. People need to be convinced that the cheetah is not a danger to humans, and that improved husbandry can limit cheetah predation on livestock. Imams should condemn killing of cheetahs and gazelles during Friday prayers. 10. Conclusion The present range and distribution of the cheetah in Iran is a response to a wide range of factors, including security, food acquisition and breeding. These are the key forces driving Asiatic cheetahs towards largely unpopulated true desert, which certainly does not support high densities of ungulates. Their range and numbers have been reduced to their lowest within 30 years. It is difficult at this stage to explain things easily without quantification of the ecological, political, social and cultural factors involved. The cheetahs retreat to unsuitable habitats may be a temporary insurance against extiction but it is important to protect the area now. In sum, the cheetah is surviving in Iran. with limited protection, because the habitat it occupies over much of the plateau acts to some extent as a natoral refuge. If this were not the case, the species most certainly would have become extinct in Iran by the 1980s. However. this natural protection should not be taken for granted. Given increased protection. extensive research programmer in reserves, and through the management efforts outlined above, all taken together, there would be reason for cautious optimism with respect to the future of the cheetah in Iran. Maps, Figures and Tables of Cheetah Records
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