As per an agreement between the ICT Ministry and the Department of Environment signed on Sunday, a project has been launched at Golestan National Park to equip the globally acclaimed natural reserve in the northeast with smart fire alarm systems.
The agreement was signed by ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi and Department of Environment chief Isa Kalantari and took effect on Tuesday.
It is a model project that will be duplicated to other natural reserves if it produces the desired results, ict.gov.ir reported.
Remote sensing, Internet of Things (IoT) and satellite imagery are to be used by the system.
The project will cost 45 billion rials ($391,000).
Fencing the more vulnerable areas and equipping park rangers with drones, high-speed motorcycles and infrared goggles are envisaged in the agreement.
The outdated security talkback system used in the park will be updated to a digital wireless system with wider coverage.
Kalantari said using IoT-enhanced flame detectors, a smart fire alarm system will be set up in the national park highly susceptible to fires, especially along the 12km road that traverses the key natural reserve.
The road is frequented by tourists and visitors, and the area is highly vulnerable to fire because there always are people setting up barbecue grills who often are oblivious to safety measures.
Fire detectors will be equipped with modern communication devices and when fire is detected, park rangers will be alarmed in seconds.
UNESCO Site
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 a 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.
