For many years, the people of Qaleh Bala have lived alongside Turan National Park and Biosphere Reserve. Today, the village stands as one of Iran's successful models of sustainable and regenerative tourism—rooted in community solidarity, education, and the belief that nature conservation and local development share a common future.
2006–2010
UNDP ecotourism & handicrafts project
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International cheetah conservation partnership
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Pillars: solidarity, education, participation
Biosphere Neighbor
For many years, the people of Qaleh Bala have lived alongside Turan National Park and Biosphere Reserve, a valuable habitat for the Asiatic cheetah and many other wildlife species of Iran. When the threat of extinction for the Asiatic cheetah became more serious, the villagers joined the International Project for the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah and allocated part of their rangelands and lands to help protect this valuable habitat.
Alternative Livelihoods
Between 2006 and 2010, through the project "Creating Alternative and Sustainable Livelihoods Based on the Development of Ecotourism and Handicrafts," implemented with the cooperation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Department of Environment, and the Sarzamin Plan Association, a new path opened for the people of Qaleh Bala.
This path was built on community participation, education, and the use of local capacities. Training workshops, participatory meetings, and the support of facilitators helped create local guides, eco-lodges, the revival of the traditional art of taneh weaving, and the strong involvement of women in handicrafts and tourism.
Conservation Culture
Community participation did not remain limited to tourism development. The organization of the "Journey to the Habitat of the Iranian Ground Jay" festival, centered on this endemic Iranian bird, the implementation of community campaigns supporting wildlife such as the "Forage Donation" initiative, and the continuous cooperation of the local community with conservation programs showed that protecting nature has become part of the identity and culture of Qaleh Bala.
Today
Today, with its eco-lodges, wildlife tourism, and the active participation of the local community, Qaleh Bala has become one of Iran's successful villages in the field of sustainable and regenerative tourism—an achievement rooted in community solidarity, education, and participation, and in the belief that nature conservation and local development are not separate paths, but a shared future for the village.
Solidarity, Participation & Shared Learning
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