علیرضا محمدی

The expansion of road networks in Iran has substantially affected the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah (1–4). Since 2004, at least 23 Asiatic cheetahs have been killed in vehicle collisions (4). The worldwide Asiatic cheetah population is now estimated to be fewer than 20 adults, all of whom live in Iran (5). The country must take immediate action to protect the species from extinction. Ten cheetahs, one of which was pregnant, have been killed on Semnan-Mashhad Road alone (6), which is located at the periphery of the Touran Biosphere Reserve, supposedly the last remaining sanctuary for Asiatic cheetahs (2). In 2018, Iran established a 3-km fenced area near the reserve to prevent cheetahs from accessing the road (6). After the fence was built, cheetah road accidents ceased until 2022 (6). However, because the fence only covered part of the reserve’s border and no monitoring was implemented, it is unclear whether the temporary halt in road-kills resulted from the intervention