Head of Environmental Protection Organization: Peace is the basic condition for realizing the possibility of protecting life

The head of the Environmental Protection Organization said: Peace is more than the absence of war; Peace is the basic condition for realizing the possibility of protecting life.

The text of the speech of Sheena Ansari, Vice President and Head of the Environmental Protection Organization, in the specialized panel "Biodiversity and Peace; "Environmental protection during armed conflicts", which was held in the presence of Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, and the directors of the United Nations environmental organizations, is as follows:

The topic of this panel, that is, the relationship between biodiversity and peace, from my point of view, is not just a moral or political issue; Rather, it is considered a fundamental issue in the field of environmental governance, international law and human security.

In the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, we mainly focus on factors such as land use change, habitat destruction, pollution, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources and climate change as the most important driving factors for reducing biodiversity.

However, there is another factor that deserves much more attention in this equation: the breakdown of peace and the occurrence of armed conflicts.

War can activate multiple drivers of biodiversity loss simultaneously and with devastating intensity. Its consequences range from the direct destruction of habitats and widespread fires to soil and water pollution, the release of hazardous substances, the displacement of human populations, the disruption of the management of protected areas, and the weakening of national capacities for monitoring and protecting nature.

The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses this fact not only on a theoretical level, but based on its direct experience. In recent years, we have closely experienced the consequences of such conditions.

During the 12-day war of 2025, a number of Iran's protected areas were also affected by the attacks and consequences of the conflicts.

According to the assessments, thirteen protected areas and thousands of hectares of natural areas, especially in the Zagros mountain range, were damaged and affected by fires.

However, the true extent of the damage goes far beyond the number of hectares burned or destroyed.

During the recent war of aggression by the United States of America and the Israeli regime against Iran, the vulnerability of Persian Gulf ecosystems to pollution caused by damage to oil and gas facilities, fires, and the release of pollutants was once again revealed.

The Persian Gulf is a semi-enclosed, shallow and environmentally sensitive sea.

Coral reefs, mangrove forests, coastal habitats and the wide variety of aquatic organisms of this water area have a high environmental value. Additionally, these ecosystems have a direct link to the food security and livelihoods of millions of people across the region.

In such a situation, no pollution incident can be considered as a local issue.

Contaminants may be transported by ocean currents, enter the food chain, and affect habitats that are located a considerable distance from the initial site of the incident.

From this point of view, condemning aggressive actions and holding the aggressor accountable should go beyond the traditional dimensions of international peace and security.

Ecological security should also be recognized as one of the integral dimensions of regional security.

One of the important lessons that we have learned from our recent experience is the need for a clearer distinction between damage to infrastructure and damage to nature.

A building can be rebuilt.

A road can be rebuilt.

But the extinction of a species, the loss of a genetically distinct population, or the collapse of a unique habitat may be irreversible.

For this reason, the evaluation of the consequences of armed conflicts should take an approach in which environmental damages are examined independently, scientifically and in a long-term period.

Such assessments should not be limited to the extent of physical degradation, but should also include biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, damage to ecosystem services, soil and water pollution, and damage to genetic resources.

The international community should create more effective mechanisms for monitoring, documenting, evaluating and compensating environmental damages caused by armed conflicts.

The countries of West Asia and Southwest Asia are facing increasing environmental pressures, including climate change, water shortage, desertification, reduction of natural resources and increasing pressure on ecosystems; That too in the situation where they are still dealing with continuous security crises.

In such a situation, war can intensify the consequences of environmental crises and increase the vulnerability of communities and ecosystems.

Therefore, the relationship between biodiversity, peace and security should be considered a two-way relationship.

Peace is essential for nature; And effective and responsible protection of nature can also play a role in strengthening peace.

Cooperation in the field of common rivers, wetlands, seas, migratory species and genetic resources can provide valuable opportunities for dialogue, trust building and expansion of cooperation between countries.

I believe that it is precisely at this point that environmental diplomacy can become a tool for peace diplomacy.

We should pay more attention to the issue of peace and armed conflicts in the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

We should also recognize the protection of biodiversity during armed conflicts as part of the common responsibility of the international community.

In conclusion, let me summarize my message in one sentence:

Peace is more than the absence of war; Peace is the basic condition for realizing the possibility of protecting life.

And protecting biodiversity means protecting life itself.

If we want to achieve the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity, we must also strive for peace.

Because a war may end in a few days or weeks, but its consequences for nature can last for decades.