This prize-winning book is the most comprehensive work to date on the fauna of Iran, now available for the first time to an English-speaking readership. Despite the emergence of a conservation movement in the 1960s and 70s, the last quarter century has witnessed continuing environmental degradation and the destruction of natural habitats in Iran. The position of a number of species unique to Iran, such as the Asiatic cheetah, is critical. More than a source of scientific knowledge, this book also alerts the public to an environmental situation which is becoming increasingly imperilled.