A smart fire alarm system set up in Golestan National Park is to be tested in the coming days.
Amir Nazemi, the head of Iran IT Organization, says the fire alarm system is to be tested in four areas of the park, Mehr News Agency reported.
The system is the product of an agreement signed in February between the ICT Ministry and the Department of Environment. The move was aimed at protecting the globally acclaimed natural reserve against human and naturally occurring wildfires.
The agreement was signed by ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi and DOE chief Isa Kalantari. With a budget of 45 billion rials ($330,000), the system was launched in mid March.
Remote temperature and moisture sensing, Internet of Things and satellite imagery are used by the alarm system. IoT-enhanced flame detectors will precisely detect and immediately report fire in the woodland.
Kalantari said the national park is highly susceptible to blazes , especially along the 12-km road that traverses the key natural reserve.
"The road is frequented by tourists and visitors, and the area is highly vulnerable to fire because people setting up barbecue grills are often oblivious to safety measures," he said.
Fire detectors are to be upgraded, such that when a fire erupts, park rangers will be alarmed in seconds.
In addition to the fire alarm system, highly vulnerable areas will be fenced and park rangers will be equipped with drones, high-speed motorcycles and infrared goggles as per the agreement.
The outdated security talkback system used in the park will also be updated to a digital wireless system with a wider coverage.
Experts say it is a model project that will be replicated in other natural reserves and forests under DOE’s management, if it produces the desired results.
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Golestan National Park is situated between the eastern parts of the Alborz Mountains and the western fringes of the Khorasan-Kopet Dag and 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. The park boasts of 1,350 plant species and 302 animal species. It hosts half the country’s mammal species.
