TEHRAN (Iran News) –  The Persian leopard project has been chosen as the winner of the International Facilitation Impact Award (FIA), Arezoo Sane’ei, head of the Persian Leopard Research center, has said.

As a professional association with members in more than 65 countries, the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) is well placed to recognize the power of facilitation worldwide. For more than 20 years have been a strong advocate for the power of facilitation in helping organizations to address challenges and achieve results.

The FIA honors organizations that have used facilitation to achieve a measurable and positive impact.
In 2021, projects in various fields (such as health, wildlife, rural revitalization, housing policy design, performance indicators to improve service delivery, social welfare, etc.) from different companies and countries applied for this award, she explained.

Based on evaluations, projects from Iran, Canada, the United States, Russia, China, Switzerland, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, India, Taiwan, the Philippines, and South Africa have been attended the competition, she noted.

The Persian leopard project from Iran was introduced as the winner of the first level award (Platinum) in terms of the effectiveness of executive methods in terms of quantity and quality and innovation in planning and designing actions with the appropriate benefit of the group process facilitation approach, according to Sane’ei.

The Persian leopard is an endangered species that can only be found in Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Turkey, and the countries of the Caucasus region. And its number does not cross 1300 collars.

The largest population of the Persian leopard is estimated to be 550-850 in the mountains and forests. Unfortunately, in the past years, the species’ number has decreased dramatically and, in some areas, the species has become completely extinct. Some of the main threats to the Persian leopard are habitat destruction, illegal hunting, road accidents, human conflicts and etc.

Ever since 2007 plan for the land society has begun a project under the title of “The Persian leopard project” in some protected areas with the purpose of research and the protection of the species. This project intends to specify the possibilities of the leopard’s co-existence by doing scientific research and using the most up-to-date and accurate methods to offer a practical solution and partnership with the local community to plan long-term protection plans.

The Persian leopard project has been very active in certain areas like Bemo national park, Golestan national park, Qazvin, Hormozgan, Bushehr, And East Azarbaijan provinces.