About 48,000 hectares of afforested lands will be ceded to local communities, according to a senior official of the Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization. Speaking to IRNA, Fariborz Gheibi said, “The lands, scattered across the country, were afforested last year by the organization.” Afforestation is the planting of a forest in an area where there was no forest before. It differs from reforestation, which is the reestablishment of forest cover, either naturally or via artificial means. FRWO plans to hand the day-to-day management of the forests to local populations gradually to empower communities and instill a sense of responsibility toward the protection of forests. “We believe the plan will help reduce harm to forests, such as illegal logging,” Gheibi said, adding that communities taking over the management of forests will first have to pass rigorous training courses.
