Water Shortage Management in Touran Biosphere Reserve, Iran

Although Iran’s wildlife faces many grave threats, none is as urgent as that of the Asiatic Cheetah. Its critically endangered population, estimated to be of only 50 species, is scattered mainly amongst a few national reserves, one of which is the Touran Biosphere Reserve (TBR). The TBR, located mainly in Semnan province, has faced severe water shortages recently, which has directly affected the Cheetah. Funding s water resource management projects developed by non-profit environmental NGOs is critical for the survival of this species.

The SMF Foundation largely funded this project’s first phase (2016-2017), which consisted of restoring eight water sources and dredging two additional ones. The results of this phase have been positive, based on the information gathered by camera traps. The overall situation however is much worse than predicted.

The second phase(2017-2018) is composed of the restoration of six additional water sources, the continuation of ongoing experiments and the monitoring and maintenance of the repaired sources.