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Cases / Trophy hunting revenue · Iran · 2013–2025

Iran hunting permits for wild sheep and wild goat: Department of Environment prices for foreign hunters, 2018–2025

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 1 not disclosed · 1 insufficient · 2 not measured · 2 disputed See the gaps

Iran's Department of Environment issues quotas for urial, mouflon and wild goat in private reserves. In 2018 its hunting office head described permits sold to foreign hunters by the National Environment Fund at 50–70 million toman against a government price of 900,000 toman, and in 2025 a Larestan ram permit was reported at up to €40,000.

50–70 million toman vs 900,000 tomanPermit price to foreign hunters vs government price, per permit, 2018
Price set by the National Environment Fund against the Department of Environment's price, as described by the Department's hunting office head.

Status As of January 2025: a Larestan ram permit was reported at up to €40,000; the Administrative Justice Court General Board's November 2017 ruling leaves the fee increase in place.

What?
The Department of Environment issues quotas for urial, mouflon and wild goat in private reserves and the National Environment Fund sells permits to hunters, including foreign hunters, at prices far above the government's per-permit price. Asr Iran
Where?
Private reserves Rubaz, Chehelgazi and Dorbid in Yazd Province and Mansurabad in Kerman Province; species range also covers Fars (Larestan), Kerman and Khorasan. Hamshahri Online
When?
Fee directive of about 27 February 2013; Administrative Justice Court ruling 14 November 2017; DoE description 11 June 2018; foreign hunting halted 2019–2021; Larestan ram permit reported 26 January 2025. Ekhtebar
Who?
Gained
  • National Environment Fund — Sells permits to hunters at 50–70 million toman for foreign hunters; paid the DoE 100 million toman for 105 permits Asr Iran
  • Local communities — 20% of annual permits at low government prices Asr Iran
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
The DoE says permit revenue should fund services in the hunting area; critics and the Administrative Justice Court General Board, as reported, question the justification for permits for foreign hunters. Asr Iran
How?
The DoE issues permits to the National Environment Fund, which sells them to hunters; 20% of annual permits go to local communities and 80% to domestic and foreign hunters. Asr Iran
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

On 11 June 2018 the head of the Department of Environment's (DoE) hunting office, Ali Teimouri, described the system for hunting permits. The DoE issued permits for 105 head to the National Environment Fund; 20% of annual permits went to local communities at low government prices and 80% to domestic and foreign hunters; the Fund sold permits to hunters, and 80% of sale proceeds “should go toward services in the same hunting area”. He said about 8 foreign hunters had hunted and 10–15 head had been issued so far. The Fund set prices for foreign hunters at 50–70 million toman per permit, against a government price of 900,000 toman; the Fund paid the DoE 100 million toman for 105 permits.

A directive of the First Vice President (no. 242962/48313, 8 Esfand 1391, about 27 February 2013) raised hunting and fishing fees. On 14 November 2017 the General Board of Iran's Administrative Justice Court rejected a petition to annul the increase; Ekhtebar's account of the ruling quotes the Board's reasoning that permits for foreign hunters are “not justified” because foreigners rarely come to hunt, because of conflict with protection of endangered species, because revenue was less than the budget of one DoE unit, and because of past violations of permit limits.

For the 2020–21 season, 93 permits were set for four private reserves (60 wild goat, 33 urial) under a quota reported as far below the 6% ceiling in the hunting and fishing law. Tour organiser Esrafil Shafiee-zadeh said none was sold to foreigners because hunting-tourist visas were not issued; he put a foreign licence at $15,000–$30,000 and potential hunting-tourism income at “$5 billion in foreign currency annually”. A 2015 BBC report, via the India Environment Portal, put licences to foreign visitors for rare and protected breeds at about 500 a year, at about $15,000 for a Transcaspian urial and up to $20,000 for a Laristan mouflon.

On 26 January 2025 Fararu (Mehr) reported that a Larestan ram permit could cost up to €40,000. The critic Farzad Alizadeh described the official tariff ceiling as US$3,000 per head for Larestan, Kerman and Shiraz rams with horns of at least 50 cm, said the €40,000 was “only the price of hunting one animal species” and said the DoE was “spreading the forbidden act” under labels such as managed hunting.

  1. 2013First Vice President's directive raises hunting and fishing fees (8 Esfand 1391, about 27 Feb)
  2. 2017Administrative Justice Court General Board rejects a petition to annul the fee increase (14 Nov)
  3. 2018DoE hunting office head describes permit sales through the National Environment Fund (11 Jun)
  4. 2021Tour organiser says no permits were sold to foreigners in the 2020–21 season because visas were not issued (5 Apr)
  5. 2025Larestan ram permit reported at up to €40,000 (26 Jan)

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“only the price of hunting one animal species”

Farzad Alizadeh, critic, on the €40,000 permit · 26 January 2025 · translated from Persian · Fararu

“spreading the forbidden act”

Farzad Alizadeh, critic, on the DoE's use of labels such as managed hunting · 26 January 2025 · translated from Persian · Fararu

“$5 billion in foreign currency annually”

Esrafil Shafiee-zadeh, tour organiser, on potential hunting-tourism income · 5 April 2021 · translated from Persian · Hamshahri Online

“a worrying lack of accountability in how the proceeds from trophy hunting are being spent”

“should go toward services in the same hunting area”

Ali Teimouri, DoE hunting office head, on 80% of sale proceeds · 11 June 2018 · translated from Persian · Asr Iran

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Whether permits for foreign hunters are justified
Courts
General Board, Administrative Justice Court (as reported by Ekhtebar, translated)

Permits for foreign hunters are “not justified”: foreigners rarely come to hunt, there is conflict with protection of endangered species, revenue is less than the budget of one DoE unit, and permit limits have been violated in the past.

Ekhtebar
Government and regulators
Ali Teimouri, DoE hunting office head (2018)

Prices differ for domestic and foreign hunters, and 80% of sale proceeds should go toward services in the same hunting area.

Asr Iran
Communities and civil society
Esrafil Shafiee-zadeh, tour organiser (2021)

Foreign hunting tourism could earn $5 billion in foreign currency annually.

Hamshahri Online
Communities and civil society
Farzad Alizadeh, critic (2025)

The DoE is “spreading the forbidden act” under labels such as managed hunting.

Fararu
How proceeds from trophy hunting are spent
Government and regulators
Ali Teimouri, DoE hunting office head (2018)

80% of sale proceeds should go toward services in the same hunting area.

Asr Iran
Communities and civil society
Environmentalists (BBC, 2015)

There is a worrying lack of accountability in how the proceeds from trophy hunting are being spent.

India Environment Portal

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • Prices differ for domestic and foreign hunters, and 80% of sale proceeds should go toward services in the same hunting area.
    Ali Teimouri, DoE hunting office head · Asr Iran
  • Foreign hunting tourism could earn $5 billion in foreign currency annually.
    Tour organiser Esrafil Shafiee-zadeh · Hamshahri Online

Recorded

  • The DoE's price was 900,000 toman per permit and the Fund's price to foreign hunters 50–70 million toman, in 2018.
    Asr Iran
  • The Administrative Justice Court General Board rejected the petition to annul the fee increase on 14 November 2017.
    Ekhtebar
  • No permits were sold to foreigners in the 2020–21 season because tourist hunting visas were not issued.
    Hamshahri Online
  • BBC (2015) and Fararu (2025) report no breakdown of how proceeds are spent.
    India Environment Portal

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
No figure published.

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Currency: · Window: . All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • iran-doe (11 June 2018): Prices differ for domestic and foreign hunters; 20% of annual permits go to local communities at low government prices and 80% to domestic and foreign hunters; 80% of sale proceeds should go toward services in the same hunting area. · Asr Iran

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

  1. 2017Defendant won
    Petition to annul the First Vice President's hunting and fishing fee increase (directive no. 242962/48313)
    General Board, Administrative Justice Court · Administrative · Petitioner(s) (not named in the source) → Government (First Vice President's directive)

    On 23 Aban 1396 (14 November 2017) the General Board rejected the petition and the directive stood. Ekhtebar's account of the ruling gives the Board's reasoning that permits for foreign hunters are “not justified”: foreigners rarely come to hunt, there is a conflict with protection of endangered species, revenue is less than the budget of one DoE unit, and permit limits were violated in the past (translated). Ekhtebar

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

Permits issued to the Fund, 2018
105 head
Fund paid the DoE 100 million toman
Government price per permit, 2018
900,000 toman
DoE hunting office head
Fund price to foreign hunters, 2018
50–70 million toman
Per permit
Larestan ram permit, 2025
up to €40,000
Reported by Fararu (Mehr)

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Court ruling existsKey earnings undisclosed

Nature

  • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

Accounts

  • Disputed Whether permits for foreign hunters are justified
  • Disputed How proceeds from trophy hunting are spent

Record

  • Not disclosed Not disclosed: how the proceeds from the permits are spent; the BBC (2015) and Fararu (2025) report no breakdown.
  • Not measured Not measured: population data for the hunted species; the sources give a 2020–21 quota reported as far below the 6% ceiling but no population figures.
  • Insufficient Insufficient: the number of foreign hunts; the DoE hunting office head said in 2018 that about 8 foreign hunters had hunted, and a tour organiser said none were sold in 2020–21.

Did the harm stop?

Not on record. The sources give no population data for the hunted species.

Who paid?

Foreign hunters paid the Fund 50–70 million toman per permit in 2018; the Fund paid the DoE 100 million toman for 105 permits. The sources report no breakdown of how proceeds are spent.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators✓ Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers

Courts

Press and investigations

  4. The big business of trophy hunting in Iran (BBC, 2015)
    India Environment Portal · 2015-08-10

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