Eskandar Firouz

Eskandar Firouz was born in Shiraz in 1926. He completed his higher education in civil engineering at the University of Utah in the United States, but his main path of activity turned toward nature conservation, wildlife, and natural resource management in Iran.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Firouz was one of the leading figures in shaping the modern structure of environmental conservation in Iran. Through establishing and developing institutions for nature protection, he contributed to transforming traditional hunting management into more scientific systems of environmental conservation and served as the first head of the Iranian Department of Environment.

During his administration, many natural areas of Iran were placed under protection, and issues such as wildlife conservation, wetlands, and natural ecosystems gained greater national and international importance. He also played an important role in the development and advancement of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Among his notable works is the book “Wildlife of Iran: Vertebrates,” which introduces and examines Iran’s animal species. Firouz continued his scientific, research, and educational activities in environmental fields in later years and is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of nature conservation in Iran.