Iran joins global campaign to protect endangered species
Iran has formally joined an international campaign in Armenia working to safeguard endangered species, opening the door to greater cooperation on wildlife conservation and restoration.
The country has developed action plans to protect 40 wildlife species, IRNA reported.
Hamid Zohrabian, head of Iran’s delegation, signed the country’s membership document on Monday in Yerevan, Armenia, on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17).
The campaign was launched at the initiative of Armenia during COP17, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attending the event.
Its secretariat is run by Reverse the Red, an international initiative that works with countries to accelerate efforts to protect and restore endangered species.
Speaking at a meeting on Iran’s accession, Zohrabian stressed the need for an equitable distribution of resources and technology to help save threatened species.
The event also agreed that Iran would be listed on the campaign’s website as a country with action plans for 40 wildlife species.
The listing is intended to help Iran access technical, scientific and financial support for its conservation work.
Several global funds had previously pledged financial backing for the initiative, with total announced support reaching $500 million.
Iran had also received the Reverse the Red Award at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) congress in 2025 for its programs to protect and restore species.
Iran’s accession brings the campaign’s membership to 18 countries. The move creates an opportunity to expand international cooperation on wildlife conservation.
17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) runs from October 19 to 30 in Yerevan, where governments and international stakeholders are discussing biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.