The Department of Environment, Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization and academics aim to jointly devise a plan to combat logging to help preserve the country’s forests.
Speaking to reporters on her visit to the forests of Siahkal County in Gilan Province, DOE chief, Massoumeh Ebtekar, told reporters that the joint effort will change how forests resources are used, ISNA reported.
Iran loses 1.4% of its forests every year, meaning a staggering 142,000 hectares are cut down annually.
Ebtekar said importing wood is an effective way of curbing deforestation and added, “Our priority is to promote sustainable development in our woodlands.”
Ebtekar said her department, in cooperation with FRWO, is committed to preserving the Zagros forests (replete with oak trees) and the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests.
“Proper management of these ecologically-rich resources will help protect ecosystems, boost tree reproduction and reduce damage caused by floods and landslides,” she said.
Following its enactment in 2013, the Cabinet has been fighting the felling of forest trees in an inclusive plan. Based on the enactment, only damaged and worn trees may be cut.
Ebtekar said a government directive, which went into effect in 2013, allows only damaged trees to be cut down, adding that President Hassan Rouhani’s administration is committed to protecting forests.
