Lut Desert

Within the area, only the western edge includes settlements, all of which are considered rural (there being 28 villages, the smallest with only two residents, the largest with just over 750 people). In the buffer zone there are 15 villages plus Shahdad town with a population of nearly 6,000 and Anduhjerd town with approximately 3,500 people, making the buffer zone almost twice as populous as the property itself (UNEP-WCMC, 2016). Provincial Strategic Committees (consisting of all stakeholder groups in the Lut Desert World Heritage Site) are formed at provincial level and the different stakeholder groups form good partnerships to manage and protect the Site. Lut Desert field Base programs have been developed to preserve the values of the Site through empowering and involving local communities in the management and conservation, sustainable tourism development and the sustainable development of the Lut Desert World Heritage (IUCN Consultation, 2020). In addition, the relationship of local communities with each other (for example West Lut with East Lut) for integrated management has improved. Many young people in the rural areas of the Lut Desert have joined to the Lut Desert Supporters Association (a non-governmental organization) and are working to promoting awareness and educate local communities, visitors and other stakeholders (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Local people, including administrators, support the concept of the World Heritage property and have long-standing traditional networks that ensure knowledge of activities within the park area. Thus, there is good reason to believe that the cooperation of the public will ensure that protection will be achieved. That said, there are some traditional rural practices that have led inadvertently to desertification in some areas. Education will be required to bring awareness and improve management of land near settlements. From the point of view of the local communities, the actions of the Lut Desert Base are considered positive and usually, in many cases, they work together to help the base management. In recent years, local people have become more aware of their role in protecting the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the Lut Desert World Heritage Site. Through NGOs, they have actively worked to prevent destructive construction projects and other harmful activities (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

Apart from some small private landholdings in villages in the area and buffer zone of western Lut, the majority of the land within the Lut Desert is state-owned (State Party of Iran, 2015). The property is subject to a complex and multi-level protection regime and a range of legislation, regulations and protective mechanisms apply (14 legal instruments). Legal protection and management is provided by state level authorities that work under their specific mandates. Three agencies principally share conservation and management responsibility for the property, namely the Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization; Iranian Department of Environment; and the Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) (UNEP-WCMC, 2016). A comprehensive Natural Heritage Law is currently being drafted which will provide a more robust legal foundation for protection, supplementing existing supportive laws, and a Nature Tourism Regulation was approved in early 2024, signalling a commitment to responsible tourism practices (IUCN consultation, 2024). Despite the existing legal framework for the Lut Desert World Heritage Site, greater cooperation is needed among relevant ministries and organizations. For instance, while mining is prohibited within the property, the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade has occasionally granted permits for mineral exploration—though not for actual extraction or excavation (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

Protection of non-conservation lands, study and execution of projects of watershed and rangeland management and desertification is under the control of the Organization of Forests, Range and Watershed Management. This agency is responsible for the prevention of illegal exploitation of deserts. Two protected areas located in the northwest and southeast are under the management and protection of the Iranian Department of Environment. The Darband-e Ravar “wildlife refuge” in the northwest partially overlaps with the area but the Bobolab “no hunting” area in the southeast only overlaps with the buffer zone. In addition to management of the protected area, the Department of Environment is responsible for environmental assessment of development projects. The Lut Desert is also on the national heritage registration list of ICHHTO.

Additionally, based on the documents provided by the State Party, ICHHTO is the sole responsible authority for the management of the property as well as coordination between all other relevant institutions (UNEP-WCMC, 2016). According to the current management system, several organizations under the supervision of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts are responsible for managing and conserving the property. However, the vast areas of both core and buffer zones require greater attention, additional human resources, and increased funding (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

Both national and regional government are fully supportive of the establishment of the World Heritage property, so there is every reason to believe that it will be integrated into regional and national planning systems. Although there is currently insufficient information available to make a decisive assessment, it is reasonable to consider integration of the property into regional and national planning systems to be mostly effective.

The property covers 2,278,012 ha and has an additional buffer zone of 1,794,137 ha. Boundaries are largely appropriate and effective with the only doubts about boundary configuration in the west to northwest corner, where some 28 settlements and a main road are located within the property, and an area is included (Gandom Beryan Plateau) that is not of global significance and does not relate to the principal features of the Lut Desert. Although there are some features of desert landforms such as meso and micro hoodoos and the shadow dunes between lavas in this area (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Furthermore, the boundary could be extended southward to encompass areas containing some of the world's tallest nebkhas (exceeding 20 meters in height), as documented by Zahab et al. (2020).

not applicable

Aside from the Committee decisions inscribing the site and adopting the OUV (40COM 8B.8 & 41COM 8B.49), there have been no decisions or recommendations in regard to Lut Desert. There have also been no SOC reports written. At the time of the inscription, two recommendations were made by the World Heritage Committee (2016): a) progressively build technical capacity to manage the natural values of the Lut Desert in light of the intrinsic links between the property’s geomorphology, geology and its desert adapted biodiversity and ecology, and b) further study and assess the biodiversity and ecological values of the property with a view to considering nomination also under criteria (ix) and/or (x) at some future time. Through the eight newly established local field Bases, there is now some more capacity to manage the natural values of the Lut Desert, however, more resources and work is still needed to understand physical and biological links within the property (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Studies of the Lut Desert ecosystem are currently being conducted by the Lut Desert World Heritage Base in collaboration with scientific centres, and two reports have so far been published in Persian (Ghollasimod, 2017; Keshtkar, 2018) in addition to private studies on hydrogeochemistry, geomorphology, erosion, sand mobility, mineral distribution, microbial diversity, and rain studies. In addition, the second phase of identifying the Lut Desert ecosystem will begin soon to get a better understanding of the Lut Desert ecosystem.

Comprehensive research is underway to understand the origins and drivers of climatic changes, and findings are expected to shed light on this pressing issue (IUCN consultation, 2024), however, it is unknown whether there are specific systems in place to protect the OUV from climate change, other than managing tourism and off-road driving, which would exacerbate the effects of climate change in the fragile desert environment.

The management system has evolved, adapted and made good progress to ensure the best possible conservation, but more work is still needed and efforts are underway. Progress includes: Formation of a National Strategic Committee of the Lut Desert World Heritage Site (consisting of a representative of ministries and relevant organizations); Creation of eight local Bases for better management; Preparation of tourism routes, carparks, signboards and guidelines; Development of Ecolodges; Banning future mining activities and collection of meteorites; Training different stakeholder groups; Improving local community partnerships for conservation and management; and undertaking research on the Lut Desert Ecosystem (IUCN Consultation, 2020). The Lut Desert Management Plan is being updated and will be finalized soon (IUCN Consultation, 2024). The Lut Desert management system is running with an integrated management approach. However, no details are currently available on short, medium and long-term planning goals. Greater clarity is needed on the analysis of threats and measures to address them. Lines of control and responsibility need to be agreed and clearly documented. The Lut Desert World Heritage has one Base at national level in Tehran for integrated management, three Bases at provincial centres (three provinces involved in Lut Desert Management) and eight local field Bases located in towns and villages around the Lut Desert (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Important programmes are approved by the National Strategic Committee, however in recent years, activities at the Lut Desert bases and operations of the National Strategic Committee have declined due to administrative and funding challenges (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

The inaccessibility of the property, in conjunction with the harsh environmental conditions and the relatively low human occupation mean that the site has, to some extent, a ‘self-conservation’ system. Furthermore, the property does not contain many species of economic value, and was for a long time considered as a ‘dead zone’, and thus in largely pristine condition (UNEP-WCMC, 2016). International sanctions are considered to be a significant challenge to effective management, limiting access to crucial equipment and modern technologies including monitoring systems and satellite imagery (IUCN consultation, 2024).

From time immemorial, the desert has looked after itself. The harsh natural environment renders much of the site to be largely inaccessible, and therefore, naturally protected. Eight local field Bases have been established around the Lut Desert under supervision the Lut Desert National Base, which has improved management and protection. Each field Base has the task of managing and protecting its own area, and integrally, the entire Lut Desert (IUCN Consultation, 2020). However, the distances between field Bases and settlements constrain the ability to respond quickly to issues requiring enforcement or assistance, a matter of concern because with modern technology and increased tourist pressure, it seems inevitable that more problems will arise of a kind and perhaps of a scale not previously encountered. It is not clear how such problems will be met and dealt with.

Funding comes from government appropriations (national, regional and local), as well as income generated from tourism and public use (State Party of Iran, 2023). Finances are derived from the independent budgets of the three responsible state agencies and the three have the required financial resources and are able to apply for national and regional funds to implement their management plans (UNEP-WCMC, 2016). However, financial resources for the management and conservation of the Lut Desert have dramatically been reduced over the years due to the difficult economic situation of the country (State Party of Iran, 2023). No information is available on the breakdown of funding for capital versus recurrent expenditure, nor any guarantee of continuity and ongoing adjustment for inflation. Financial resources are considered inadequate and presenting a serious constraint to the management of the property. Additional support has been provided by local communities and private sectors (State Party of Iran, 2023).

Human resources partly meet the management needs of the World Heritage property (State Party of Iran, 2023). The Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organisation office in Shafiabad acts as the staff headquarters for the property. In total, there are 20 staff based in the office, ranging from administration, guides, tourism management, scientific staff and guards. However, due to the vast area of the Site and spread across three provinces, the Bases are in need of more staff (UNEP-WCMC, 2016).

The staff of the Bases have had some training over the last few years and have gained much experience. However, there is minimal experience of how to cater to international tourism expectations, and there is no previous experience in managing the special requirements of natural sites, since Lut Desert is the first natural World Heritage site in Iran. Consequently, there is still much to be achieved in staff training and development. Nevertheless, staff capacity building efforts have been considered to be effective (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

Overall, the shortage of staff and protection personnel has significantly impacted conservation effectiveness in both core and buffer zones (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

The relationship of the local community with the managers is at a good level. Over the past few years, private companies have funded many training courses for the local communities in the margins of the property, including a Lut Desert World Heritage Training Course for Students, aiming for tomorrow's generation to contribute to the preservation and promotion of the Site (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Local community awareness has been promoted for the management and conservation of the site. The Lut Desert Supporters Association (a non-governmental organization) published a colouring book and poetry books for children and are also collaborating with local communities and tourism activists to carry out clearing and cleaning activities of Lut Desert (IUCN Consultation, 2020). A tourist booklet has also been published in Persian and English, and the field Bases have informational displays. However, interpretation is still on a small scale and more remains to be done. A large number of introduction boards are being prepared to be installed. In 2022, a visitor center operated by the private sector was established in Shahdad City. This visitor center now serves as a regular destination for tourists exploring the region (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

Many efforts have been made to manage tourism, visitors and recreation. Tourism activists, tour operators and travel agencies are partnering with the Lut Desert World Heritage Bases to travel the Lut Desert through designated routes. Off-road vehicles arriving in the Lut Desert are GPS-enabled and their traffic is controlled and monitored (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Most tourists arrive at the property via Kerman, where there is an international airport, and consequently most visitor facilities are oriented in this direction, though these are outside the property (UNEP-WCMC, 2016). Traffic is only permitted on defined tourist routes and car parking was to be organized. In the last Periodic Report, the State Party reported annual visitor numbers ranging between 22.850 and 238.500 with an increase in the last years (State Party of Iran, 2023). Visitors are usually individuals or small groups, and facilities for overnight stays are limited. Ecolodges were to be developed within the rural context, but development and construction are not permitted on pristine lands. A new entrance gate, parking area, and other visitor facilities are currently under construction near Shafiabad Village, located along the access route to the Yardangs and the general visitor section of the property (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

There is a desert tourism camp near Shahdad, which was established by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organisation of Kerman. The camp consists of cottages created using local techniques and materials and has water and electricity (UNEP-WCMC, 2016). As for future tourism initiatives, Lut Desert has been described as having large geotourism potential in the near future (Amrikazemi & Mehrpooya 2006; Yazdi et al. 2014). A study suggested that sites in Lut Desert can be used to simulate Mars-like ecotourism (Ghorbani et al, 2023), and another study envisioned sports tourism in Lut Desert such as rally competitions and off-road racing, adventure tourism (impassable routes), and scientific-exploratory trips for astronomy, zoology, and archeology purposes (Murgante et al, 2021) (although rallies and racing have high potential of affecting the OUV). A 2024 study identified five key drivers that should play a crucial role in shaping the future of Lut Desert tourism and should be coordinated and integrated into the overall plan: planning and policy development for Lut Desert tourism, governance development, strengthening the country's sovereignty in Lut Desert tourism development, improving the economic system, and enhancing financial support and investment (Jalalabadi & Lasboyee, 2024).

Overall, although there are many positive developments, off-roading and illegal entry persist and represent the most significant violations against the sustainable use of this protected property.

The vast bulk of the property is ‘managed’ sustainably by ongoing natural processes. Around the edges, use of natural resources needs to be carefully managed to avoid desertification resulting from grazing and firewood collection. Off-roading and illegal entry represent the most significant violations against the sustainable use of this protected property.

There is awareness of the need for monitoring of natural features, tourist impacts and management effectiveness, but systems are only just being established. Due to the large area, monitoring is done through satellite images and drones as well as guards (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Local communities also report any incidents, changes or interventions to the Lut Desert Base. However, existing field bases and staff are widely dispersed, and it remains to be seen how coordinated and effective management will be, especially the lines of control and responsibility. Baselines also need to be established, especially in tourist areas, against which to measure change and the effectiveness of management policy and practices. However, some serious steps in this regard have been the creation of a tour monitoring program which provides tourism information to tour operators and tourists, and the preparation of a map of authorized tourist routes (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

Although there are no scientific research facilities within the property itself (UNEP-WCMC, 2016), basic research has been carried out on the natural science of the property, including on climate, geology, landforms and biota. Effective cooperation exists between management authorities and universities (including Sorbonne University), and comprehensive studies of the Lut Desert ecosystem have been conducted by the Lut Desert World Heritage Bases in collaboration with scientific centres (Ghollasimod, 2017; Keshtkar, 2018). The Kerman research station has undertaken substantial research into the Lut Desert, especially its botany, and has a herbarium of the region’s flora. An onsite rain study found that March has the highest concentration of rain, and that rainfall is not affected by elevation but by atmospheric-driven large-scale parameters (Ghasemifar et al, 2022). A plethora of research has been carried out, including studies on fault systems (Boshrabadi et al, 2018; Marchandon et al, 2018), extreme land surface temperatures (Azarderakhsh et al, 2019), fauna of Lut Desert (Schwentner et al, 2020), meteorites (Ferrari et al, 2018; Pourkhorsandi et al, 2019; Mahmoudi et al, 2024), geotourism development (Amrikazemi & Mehrpooya 2006; Yazdi et al, 2014; Maghsoudi et al, 2019), hydrogeochemistry of shallow groundwater (Lyons et al, 2020), geomorphology of the barchans (Milani et al, 2021), microplastics found in the yardangs (Abbasi et al, 2021), microbial diversity (Shirsalimian et al, 2022), the erosion cycle of the Kluts, Rig Lut and the transition area (Fotoohi et al, 2023), effects of climate and wind speed on sand mobility (Hazbavi et al, 2024; Maghsoudi et al, 2021), distribution of soil minerals (Rasooli et al, 2021), a new diatom genus (Kheiri et al, 2024), a new spider species (Dimitrov, 2024), and A modeling study was done on the potential of installing 140 solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants in the kalut/yardang area of Lut Desert to provide all electricity consumption for the country (Islam & Sokhansefat, 2023). Although this was just a modelling study, the fact that Lut Desert is a World Heritage site was not mentioned, and appropriate impact assessments would need to be carried out should the State Party consider such an initiative. The harsh environment and remoteness of the site has somewhat limited what has been achieved research-wise, and given that the site is now a World Heritage property, more research is required to fully understand the natural resources that require management, and research is needed on visitor cost-benefits and environmental impacts. Through a collaborative agreement with IRIMO (Iranian Meteorological Organization), a permanent meteorological station will be established in southern Lut Desert near the hottest recorded point. The selected location considers critical infrastructure requirements including internet connectivity, power supply, and security provisions. Additionally, a research center entitled "Lut Desert Research Center" has been established at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman (located in Kerman City, the nearest provincial capital to the property area) (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

Nature has looked after itself successfully in this desert environment for millennia, although some desertification has occurred from human impact around the more humid desert periphery. The use of natural resources needs to be carefully managed to avoid further desertification from grazing and firewood collection. A number of new local field Bases have been established for better management, and these have developed training courses and partnership programmes involving the local communities in the management and protection of the Site. Protection and management measures related to tourism are being developed, such as defining specific tourist routes, fitting off-road vehicles with GPS, construction of a visitor information centre and regulating tourist infrastructure developments. However, conflict between the demands of visitors to see and experience this fragile environment and the need to minimise their impacts, could lead to management issues that are not yet fully addressed.

Environmental conditions, such as the hot arid climate and large area, as well as seasonal restrictions on tourism, have provided good and effective protection for the Lut Desert. The protection and management system is still being developed, especially to address threats to the site’s values posed by expected increases in tourism, traffic, and the development of new facilities. Eight new field Bases have been established to improve local management, however, there is some concern regarding the lack of staff. Staff capacity building, though, is reported to have been effective. Most of the property is well-protected, and only around the villages in the west and north-west of the property are there some concerns about the protection and sensitivity of the fragile environment, and illegal interventions. However, local people generally support the World Heritage designation of the area. Local community partnerships for conservation and management have also been improved and awareness of the Lut Desert values promoted through training courses. If the anticipated improvement in management capacity and protection materialises, then concerns regarding tourism and development pressures could be minimised. However recently, the management of the property has become increasingly challenging due to multiple factors: insufficient funding, international sanctions against Iran, a shortage of protection personnel, illegal interventions, unauthorized off-road activities, and other related issues (IUCN Consultation, 2025).