Severe Shortage of Rangers in Kohgilouyeh

Kohgilouyeh–Boyerahmad Province, one of the most densely-forested regions in the country, is facing a major shortage of park rangers.

According to Ezzattolah Beheshtifard, the head of the provincial office of the Forests, Range, and Watershed Management Organization, there are only 76 park rangers in Kohgilouyeh, almost a sixth of the number of rangers the province needs.

"Their salary and benefits are inadequate," he was quoted as saying by YJC.

"To make matters worse, none of the park rangers has been paid since the beginning of the current Iranian year [March 21]."

Spanning across 874,000 hectares, forests and range cover approximately 53% of Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad and account for 8% of Iran's woodlands.

The province is at high-risk of wildfires, having lost nearly 9,000 hectares to fires in the past 11 years.

According to FRWO, some 95% of wildfire incidents are manmade.