The Asiatic cheetah has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1996.
Following the Iranian Revolution of 1979, wildlife conservation was interrupted for several years.
Manoeuvres with armed vehicles were carried in steppes, and local people hunted cheetahs and prey species unchecked.
The gazelle population declined in many areas, and cheetahs retreated to remote mountainous habitats.

Reduced gazelle numbers, persecution, land-use change, habitat degradation and fragmentation, and desertification contributed to the decline of the cheetah population.
The cheetah is affected by loss of prey as a result of antelope hunting and overgrazing from introduced livestock.
Its prey was pushed out as herders entered game reserves with their herds.
A herder pursued a female cheetah with two cubs on his motorbike, until one of the cubs was so exhausted that it collapsed.
He caught and kept it chained in his home for two weeks, until it was rescued by officers of the Iranian Department of Environment.

Mining development and road construction near reserves also threaten the population.
Coal, copper, and iron have been mined in cheetah habitat in three different regions in central and eastern Iran.
It is estimated that the two regions for coal (Nayband) and iron (Bafq) have the largest cheetah population outside protected areas.
Mining itself is not a direct threat to the population; road construction and the resulting traffic have made the cheetah accessible to humans, including poachers.
The Iranian border regions to Afghanistan and Pakistan, viz the Baluchistan Province, are major passages for armed outlaws and opium smugglers who are active in the central and western regions of Iran, and pass through cheetah habitat.
Uncontrolled hunting throughout the desert cannot be effectively controlled by the governments of the three countries.

Conflict between livestock herders and cheetahs is also threatening the population outside protected areas.
Several herders killed cheetahs to prevent livestock loss, or for trophies, trade and fun.
Some herders are accompanied by large mastiff-type dogs into protected areas.
These dogs killed five cheetahs between 2013 and 2016.

Between 2007 and 2011, six cheetahs, 13 predators and 12 Persian gazelles died in Yazd Province following collisions with vehicles on a transit road.
At least 11 Asiatic cheetahs were killed in road accidents between 2001 and 2014.
The road network in Iran constitutes a very high risk for the small population as it impedes connectivity between population units.

Efforts to stop the construction of a road through the core of the Bafq Protected Area were unsuccessful.
The Asiatic cheetah has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1996. Following the Iranian Revolution of 1979, wildlife conservation was interrupted for several years. Manoeuvres with armed vehicles were carried in steppes, and local people hunted cheetahs and prey species unchecked. The gazelle population declined in many areas, and cheetahs retreated to remote mountainous habitats.
Reduced gazelle numbers, persecution, land-use change, habitat degradation and fragmentation, and desertification contributed to the decline of the cheetah population. The cheetah is affected by loss of prey as a result of antelope hunting and overgrazing from introduced livestock. Its prey was pushed out as herders entered game reserves with their herds. A herder pursued a female cheetah with two cubs on his motorbike, until one of the cubs was so exhausted that it collapsed. He caught and kept it chained in his home for two weeks, until it was rescued by officers of the Iranian Department of Environment.
Mining development and road construction near reserves also threaten the population. Coal, copper, and iron have been mined in cheetah habitat in three different regions in central and eastern Iran. It is estimated that the two regions for coal (Nayband) and iron (Bafq) have the largest cheetah population outside protected areas. Mining itself is not a direct threat to the population; road construction and the resulting traffic have made the cheetah accessible to humans, including poachers. The Iranian border regions to Afghanistan and Pakistan, viz the Baluchistan Province, are major passages for armed outlaws and opium smugglers who are active in the central and western regions of Iran, and pass through cheetah habitat. Uncontrolled hunting throughout the desert cannot be effectively controlled by the governments of the three countries.
Conflict between livestock herders and cheetahs is also threatening the population outside protected areas. Several herders killed cheetahs to prevent livestock loss, or for trophies, trade and fun. Some herders are accompanied by large mastiff-type dogs into protected areas. These dogs killed five cheetahs between 2013 and 2016.
Between 2007 and 2011, six cheetahs, 13 predators and 12 Persian gazelles died in Yazd Province following collisions with vehicles on a transit road. At least 11 Asiatic cheetahs were killed in road accidents between 2001 and 2014. The road network in Iran constitutes a very high risk for the small population as it impedes connectivity between population units.
Efforts to stop the construction of a road through the core of the Bafq Protected Area were unsuccessful.
Asiatic cheetah