The Department of Environment (DoE) has voiced opposition to the construction of Shafarud Dam in Rezvanshahr County, Gilan Province, ILNA quoted deputy director of the DoE’s environmental evaluation office Hamid Jalalvandi as saying. Once the dam collects water, a significant portion of the Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests covering about 55,000 square kilometers near the southern shores of the Caspian Sea of Iran and Azerbaijan will be submerged. After the DoE’s environmental assessment of the project, it was found that continuing the construction will have major repercussions for the environment, Jalalvandi said. “If the construction continues, it runs the risk of submerging 175 hectares of the forests.” There are 9 protected areas in the Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests ecoregion.
