War-Induced Threats to Iran’s Endangered Falcons

A few days after the United States and Israel launched a war on Iran earlier this year, wildlife veterinarian Reza Kiamarzi climbed the rugged cliffs outside his home city of Isfahan to locate nests of the endangered Saker and red-naped Shaheen falcons. The nests he targeted lay near active military installations that had been struck by air-delivered bombs. Kiamarzi’s objective was to determine whether the explosions, seismic vibrations and loud acoustic shocks disrupted the birds’ breeding activities during the critical season. He reported that the falcons were still present at the sites, but he is continuing to assess any longer-term effects.

Associated Press

Iran, spanning roughly two and a half times the size of Texas, sits on a vital migratory corridor between Eurasia and Africa. A 2024 report from the Iran Environment Department lists at least 86 animal species—including the Asiatic cheetah, Persian fallow deer, brown bear, leopard, black bear, Persian onager, and various birds of prey—as being at risk of extinction. The nation’s biodiversity is now strained by a deepening economic crisis: the Iranian rial has lost over half its value in the past year, fueling an illicit trade in prized hunting birds sold to wealthy Gulf clients. Decades of international sanctions have also limited access to funding, equipment, and international expertise for conservation NGOs.

Associated Press

• Reza Kiamarzi – Veterinarian and researcher specializing in birds of prey, conducting field assessments of falcon nests.

Associated Press

• Iman Ebrahimi – Founder of AvayeBoom (“The Earth’s Cry”), an Isfahan-based conservation NGO confronting funding shortages and governmental suspicion.

Middle East Conflict and Economic Crisis Threaten Iran's Fragile Wildlife Conservation

• Jamshid Parchizadeh – U.S.–based Iranian wildlife expert warning that airstrikes damage habitats critical to cheetahs and other predators.

Associated Press

• AvayeBoom – Grassroots organization monitoring wildlife and advocating for protection amid war and sanctions.

Middle East Conflict and Economic Crisis Threaten Iran's Fragile Wildlife Conservation

• 86 species classified as critically at risk (2024 Environment Department report).

Middle East Conflict and Economic Crisis Threaten Iran's Fragile Wildlife Conservation

• Saker and red-naped Shaheen falcons are among the fastest flying birds worldwide and breed during the current conflict season.

Middle East Conflict and Economic Crisis Threaten Iran's Fragile Wildlife Conservation

• Iran’s currency depreciation > 50 % in one year, directly incentivizing smuggling of rare birds for foreign currency.

Middle East Conflict and Economic Crisis Threaten Iran's Fragile Wildlife Conservation

Iran’s Environment Department emphasizes that the war and economic turmoil are compounding existing climate and habitat pressures on wildlife. Conservationists note that military zones, once de-facto safe havens from poachers, are now exposed to bombardment that can degrade land cover, pollute water sources, and contaminate soil. The lack of international funding, exacerbated by sanctions, leaves NGOs without essential veterinary supplies, tracking technology, or operational budgets.

Associated Press

Experts criticize the dual impact of sanctions and military actions, arguing that punitive economic measures hinder conservation while the conflict creates direct habitat destruction. Smugglers, driven by the collapsing rial, are identified as the chief cause of falcon population declines, exploiting the same remote areas now targeted by airstrikes. NGOs warn that without external assistance, Iran’s biodiversity faces irreversible loss.

Middle East Conflict and Economic Crisis Threaten Iran's Fragile Wildlife Conservation

• “It’s a long climb to the foot of the cliffs. And then we have to rock climb to reach the nests,” — Reza Kiamarzi, Veterinarian

Associated Press

• “It’s a secure area no one dares get close to, not poachers and smugglers,” — Reza Kiamarzi, Veterinarian

Associated Press

• “These strikes in far-flung places are causing habitat degradation. Definitely this causes water and land pollution, soil contamination, destruction of land cover,” — Jamshid Parchizadeh, Wildlife expert

Associated Press

• “It’s a big question how much longer we and other conservation NGOs can keep working. We’re waiting every moment to see what happens,” — Iman Ebrahimi, Founder, AvayeBoom

Associated Press

While Kiamarzi confirmed the immediate presence of falcons at bomb-impacted nests, the long-term physiological and reproductive consequences remain unknown. Researchers acknowledge that sustained stress from military operations could lower hatch rates or force birds from protected sites, but no definitive data on population changes have been published to date.

Middle East Conflict and Economic Crisis Threaten Iran's Fragile Wildlife Conservation