IRAN-NATURE-ENVIRONMENT-UNESCO

This picture taken on July 7, 2019 shows a Vanessa cardui ("Painted Lady") butterfly in the Hyrcanian forests, which were recently added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, in Alimestan in Iran's northern Mazandaran province. UNESCO's World Heritage Committee voted on July 5 to add Iran's Hyrcanian forests to its World Heritage List, praising the area for its "remarkable" biodiversity. The ancient Hyrcanian forests in northern Iran, dating back up to 50 million years, run 530 miles (850 kilometres) along the coast of the Caspian Sea and are home to the Persian leopard and nearly 60 other mammal species, as well as 160 bird species. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)