Activities in Iran

Environment management and energy conservation are significant parts of JICA's cooperation in Iran. Some examples of previous or ongoing projects in this field are as follows.

Air Pollution

An air pollution monitoring system produced by a JICA expert

Air pollution caused by vehicle exhaust and other factors has reached serious levels in Tehran. This pollution is having a negative impact on the city's living environment, as is evidenced by the growing number of people suffering from respiratory illnesses.

As a response, JICA has provided a wide range of support that ranges from the formulation of specific countermeasures (monitoring methods, introduction of a vehicle inspection system, conversion of taxi and bus fuels, etc.) to reinforcement of administrative systems that implement measures to reduce air pollution.

Project on Energy Management Promotion

If energy consumption continually expands in the future, the national economy of Iran may be greatly influenced. In addition, the emission of greenhouse gases affects the climate of not only Iran but also the entire globe.

Therefore, this project was aimed at promoting energy conservation, especially in the industrial sector in Iran, which consumes approximately 25 percent of the country's total energy. The Energy Conservation Training Center was established and is expected to contribute to energy conservation in the industrial sector (From March 2003 to February 2007)

The training equipment donated by JICA

The study on Integrated Management for Ecosystem Conservation of the Anzali Wetland

Site survey by a JICA expert

Anzali Wetland, a site that was registered in the Ramsar Convention in 1975, is being threatened by serious pollution caused by an influx of wastewater and sediments that could result in the severe destruction of the unique ecosystem of the wetland. Because of this, JICA, together with Iran's Department of Environment (DOE) and Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture and relevant bodies, formulated a Wetland Management Master Plan for the Anzali wetland and implemented several pilot projects.

Anzali Wetland Ecological Management Project

Birds in the Anzali wetland

Following the JICA development study (2003-2005) that resulted in a Wetland Management Master Plan, "Anzali Wetland Ecological Management Project" is to be implemented for two years from mid-2007. This project will focus on the establishment of a necessary mechanism for the implementation of the Master Plan. Expected results of the project are 1) to establish a basic institutional structure for integrated wetland management; 2) to establish monitoring procedures for wetland management; 3) to determine zones and to draft management strategies for each zone considering the socio-economic status of the area; 4) to develop the basis for environmental education, using the Environmental Education Center; and 5) to develop a basis for ecotourism.