Without intervention, Hyrcanian forests of Iran will be no more
Northern forests in Iran are disappearing at an alarming rate, replaced by citrus plantations and luxury villas, according to environmentalists. The Hyrcanian forests have been divided into three categories: lowland, intermediate, and high-altitude oak and beech forests. Only two hectares of lowland forest remain, while the intermediate and high-altitude forests are under threat. Environmentalists attribute the degradation of the forests to urban sprawl, with many unauthorized edifices cropping up, including the usurpation of mountains, forests, and land in the northern provinces, especially Mazandaran. Despite environmentalists’ outcry, officials have not exhibited resolute responsibility, allowing the commodification of nature and the resulting environmental destruction to continue.
A catastrophe in the making
As soon as one traverses any of the northern thoroughfares that penetrate the forests, the scale of the catastrophe becomes apparent. The phenomenon has thwarted all endeavors to contain it, resulting in the degradation of both land and forest. Presently, experts and environmentalists opine that the commodification of nature engenders environmental destruction. A variety of methods has been employed to destroy not only the Hyrcanian forests but also other woodlands in Iran. Nonetheless, its intensity and severity in the northern regions of the country are higher due to escalating land values, buying and selling, and the influx of migrants.
Rise of luxury
forest villas
One of the driving factors behind the deforestation is the exponential growth of the luxury forest villa market, with prices skyrocketing, sometimes reaching over 100 billion tomans (nearly $2 million), an increase of threefold. Advertisements for these villas feature phrases that underscore the degree of encroachment on forested land, including “attached to the forest,” “pristine area,” “swimming pool and hot tub from a forest spring,” “private road,” “water and gas branching from the main pipe,” and “free electricity for up to 5 years,” incentivizing buyers and sellers alike.
Impact of
citrus plantations
Citrus plantations are another contributor to the loss of forested land. Farmers plant citrus seedlings in the heart of the forest, which abuts their land. Over time, as the citrus plants grow, the farmers start to cut down the forest trees or burn the lower trunks and cover them with soil, effectively annexing the forested area and reducing the extent of the woodland. Environmental activists fear that within the next three to four years, the only thing that will remain will be gardens in the downstream areas. Not even small patches of woodland will remain.
Ranchers turned developers
The situation is so dire that ranchers and forest herders have entered into annual contracts with the forest organization as tenants of the forest, with the contract permitting them to use a livestock pen for a temporary stay of two months and a forest area of several hectares. However, in practice, the ranchers have flagrantly disregarded these terms, cleared the land, felled trees, and erected structures. On occasion, they have even built as many as 13 or 14 houses and bequeathed them to their progeny as an inheritance, effectively appropriating the land for themselves that had once belonged to the public.
Complaints and lack
of response
The Forestry Organization has filed approximately 2,000 complaints about these violations, but they have yielded no results. In other words, the herders have taken over the forest, cleared the land, cut trees, and erected structures. The herders, in essence, have razed the entire forested regions of Bandpei and erected buildings for their private use, a circumstance that merits grave concern. The situation has escalated to such an extent that the local wildlife population is in danger, as their habitats have been destroyed, leading to a significant decline in their numbers.
Furthermore, the water sources in the area have been contaminated by the herders’ livestock, which not only affects the wildlife but also the local population who rely on these water sources for their daily needs. The damage caused by these illegal activities has also had a significant impact on the local economy, as the region’s potential for ecotourism has been severely compromised.
The Forestry Organization must take immediate action to halt these activities and protect the forest, wildlife, and local communities from further harm. Failure to do so could result in irreparable damage to this delicate ecosystem and the loss of a valuable natural resource for generations to come.