Golestan National Park in the northeastern province of Golestan will be equipped with a smart fire alarm system by next March.
With a 40 billion rials ($363,000) investment, the project is being jointly carried out by the Department of Environment and the ICT Ministry.
Hamid Zohrabi, a DOE deputy told ISNA that using flame detectors a smart fire alarm system is to be set up in the national park which is highly susceptible to blaze, especially along the 12km road that traverses the important park.
“The road is frequented by tourists and visitors, and the area is highly susceptible to fire because always there are careless people setting up barbecue grills who often are oblivious to safety measures,” Zohrabi said.
The fire detectors will be equipped with communication devices and when a fire is detected, park rangers will be alarmed in seconds.
Furthermore, the outdated security talkback system used in the park will be updated to a digital wireless system with wider coverage.
The pilot phase of the project will start in March and if it the results are as expected, it will be extended to all the natural reserves and forests under DOE management.
Registered on UNESCO Program
Golestan National Park is situated between the eastern parts of the Alborz Mountains and the western fringes of the Khorasan-Kopet Dag, Turkmen-Khorasan Mountain Range.
The park was registered as the Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Program in 1976 due to its ecological value.
It is one of the most biodiverse protected areas in Iran, boasting species as varied as the Persian leopard, Indian wolves, wild boars, Caspian red deer, roe deer, urial (a type of wild sheep), wild goats and goitered gazelles.
It has several habitats, including temperate broadleaf forests, grasslands, shrubs, and rocky areas. There are 1,350 plant species and 302 animal species in the park. It hosts half the country's mammal species.
