I remember reading somewhere last year (for the sake of giving the right credit, I think it was a life style magazine) about a couple of British men who were supposedly taking a walking tour in Uganda and by mistake wondered into a Congolese farm where they were chased by a knife-wielding farmer.

The adventure tourism or tourism in the war and conflict zones has become more and more popular over the last few years. Therefore, creating some new discussions about the balance between allowing (or taking) tourists to these troubled parts of the world and making sure tourists are safe.

The most recent news from Egypt that a tourist bus had exploded killing 4 people and injuring 14 in the Egyptian resort town of Taba, (as reported by CNN) has again raised the same questions. The tourist bus reportedly carried 33 tourists from South Korea who had visited the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine’s, in the Sinai Peninsula. The bus was headed to Israel and was waiting in line near a border crossing. A jihadist group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The Egyptian revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 has also greatly impacted the tourism industry in Egypt which has always been a great source of revenues for the country. While the Egyptian government has continuously stated that the country is taking safety measures to protect tourists, the safety concerns still remain. Adventure tourism and traveling to conflict zones is a growing business area. The sector includes everything from climbing Mount Everest to visiting conflict areas like Syria, and Afghanistan, is growing by over 15% each year and is worth $billions.

The other factor which is really important in making sure tourists are safe even if the trip is not to a war and conflict zone is “personal safety”. India which has always been a favorite tourist destination has in the last two years experienced very high rates of rapes of tourists (as well as local women who have been raped in several incidences as reported by the international news agencies). Even though the news have not deterred tourists from visiting the country, it is very important for tour agencies, tour guides and local and national officials to create better awareness programs for international tourists. For example the U.S. state department always has warning guidelines for American tourists and American citizens can check these warnings (on the countries they are traveling to) on the U.S. department’s website. In addition, it is important for tourists to clearly follow the instructions given to them by the tourists’ agencies, embassies and in most cases not to wonder through areas where their safety is not guaranteed

Iran’s Museums and Historical Properties Office is further evaluating the possibility of installing a replica of Cyrus Cylinder in the Netherlands. This will be in collaboration with the British Museum in London.

The Hague is the seat of the Dutch government and parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Council of State. It is also the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

The Cyrus Cylinder is an iconic ancient Persian World Heritage object which is housed in the British Museum.

The 2,500-year-old inscribed cylinder is known as the world’s first human rights charter. The inscription on the cylinder, which is in the earliest form of writing-Babylonian cuneiform, was made on the clay artifact with an account by Cyrus the Great, the King of Persia (600 or 576 BC-530 BC).

The Achaemenid artifact was found in Babylon, (today’s Iraq) during excavations in 1879, and has been housed in the British Museum ever since. The relic was temporarily given to Iran’s National Museum on loan in 2010-2011.  The Cylinder was also on a tour (Cyrus Cylinder US Tour 2013) in the U.S. from April to December 2013 through a partnership between Iran Heritage Foundation America, the British Museum, and the Smithsonian’s Sackler Gallery.

The Persian leopard (Panthera pardus ciscaucasica syn. Panthera pardus saxicolor), also called Caucasian leopard, is the largest leopard subspecies, and is native to northern Iran, as well as eastern Turkey, the Caucasus mountains, southern Turkmenistan, and parts of western Afghanistan. It is endangered throughout its range with an estimated 500 to 700 leopards believed to be found in Iran.

In the past 10 months it has been reported that eleven leopards have been killed and another one was paralyzed in Iran. Prior to this recent trend, two of four members of Iranian big cat family became extinct including Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) and Asiatic lion ((Panthera leo persica). Persian Leopard is on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) endangered list.

In Iran, primary threats include: a) habitat disturbances caused by constructing new roads and factories, or presence of military and training of troops in border habitat areas; b) illegal hunting and/or poaching; c) habitat loss due to deforestation, fire, agricultural expansion, overgrazing, and infrastructure development; and  d) depletion of their prey.  Other factors are road accidents, or (the leopards) being killed by peasants and guardian dogs.

The leopards’ chances for survival outside protected areas are very slim. Intensive dry conditions in wide areas of leopard habitats in recent years are affecting leopard main prey species such as wild goat and wild sheep.Recent reports and evaluations of conditions by the environmentalists on the Persian leopard mortality rate in Iran have revealed that 70% of leopard mortalities from 2007-2011 were as a result of illegal hunting or poisoning and 18% were because of road accidents. Even though, the anti-poaching laws and fines in Iran include a fine of $1600 for killing a leopard, it cannot compete with the global market prices (and demand) for leopard skin which is over $10,000 (each). Therefore, more restrictive regulations and monitoring are needed in Iran, in order to stop this growing threat.

In addition, Asiatic cheetah is another member of big cat family in Iran which is near extinction and is currently on the endangered list.

In recent years, air pollution has drastically increased in different Iranian cities. Environmental experts and activists believe that non-standard petrol is one of the most important reasons for increased air pollution and causing major health problems in Iran.

Production and use of non-standard (domestically refined) petrol has been increased in the past 3 years, and according to the published figures, Iran produces around 60 million litres of petrol on a daily basis which roughly corresponds to its national consumption. However, even though the Iranian officials have promised to increase the production of higher grade petrol with Euro 4 and 5 standards (used in European countries) the low-grade domestically-produced petrol is still what is mainly produced (and used). Recently Iran’s environmental organization asked government to stop producing this non-standard petrol in the country and instead start importing petrol from other countries until it meets the required standards.  Some Iranian parliament`s representatives have explicitly suggested that production of this low quality and non-standard petrol is linked to increased risk of cancer in Iran.

In recent years, there have been higher cases of cancer, heart attacks, asthma, neurological disorders, miscarriages and birth defects reported in Iran and exactly a year ago, the government reported that over 4000 death in Tehran, the capital of the country, could perhaps be attributed to poor air quality.

Other major factors causing air pollution include limited access to small environment-friendly cars (due to lower imports), and using non-standard domestic cars. Also, expansion of manufacturing companies which do not pay attention to the environmental issues as well as low restrictions and poor regulatory standards are other causes impacting air quality and increasing air pollution.

A heart breaking story of hunting and killing of migrating birds in north of Iran.

This report from LenzIran on Iranian TV about ruthless killing and selling birds in the province of Mazanderan in the coast of Caspian Sea, can be viewed  here