Fandoqlou forest in Iran: A haven for biodiversity under smugglers’ threat
Fandoqlou forest in northwestern Iran is a magnificent natural reserve, stretching over 16,000 hectares of land, with more than four thousand hectares covered in lush green forests, replete with bountiful hazelnut trees. The forest is an extension of the Hyrcanian forests in Iran, home to various distinctive flora and fauna, including the rare Iranian red deer. Sadly, this natural habitat is under threat from smugglers who are cutting down trees to make charcoal. The illegal logging activities have put the forest’s biodiversity in danger, and the government’s efforts to combat this criminal activity have been insufficient.
Smugglers’ tactic
According to Mahmoud Qolizadeh, the director general of Natural Resources in Ardabil Province, smugglers are using state-of-the-art chainsaws to stealthily cut down the trees.
In some instances, the smugglers even resort to igniting fires to eliminate the surviving remnants of the Hyrcanian wildlife on the border of Ardabil and Gilan provinces to peddle their charcoal in the market.
Smugglers enter the forest with their kin and cut one or two trees, taking a break for tea before transporting the illicit timber to the open market for a profitable sale.
Challenges faced by rangers
Accessing Fandoqlou has encountered numerous impediments due to its rugged terrain, rendering the task of monitoring and safeguarding the area a demanding undertaking. Forest rangers must traverse Heyran Pass, a tough mountainous road, to reach operational zones sometimes amidst blazing fires. Furthermore, Ardabil Province is saddled with limited number of rangers and safeguarding this forested expanse has been fraught with many challenges. Consequently, this forest has been pillaged by tree smugglers for several years.
Legal harvesting of trees
Qolizadeh disclosed that the forest trees in the protected area of Fandoqlou cannot be legally harvested for industrial purposes and are typically utilized as firewood or charcoal. The presence of wood industry factories in the locality has provided a pretext for felling trees, and locals have become accomplices in this unlawful activity. Judicial oversight, coupled with round-the-clock vigilance by park rangers in the region and even outside the wood industry factories, has curtailed wood smuggling to a certain extent. Furthermore, the authorities have intensified forest protection measures and created obstructions to impede illicit transit. In addition, monitoring has been amplified through the employment of cutting-edge technological cameras.
Arson as a tactic
Colonel Mohammad Nouri, the commander of the Natural Resources Protection Unit of Ardabil Province, confirmed the insidious practice of wood smuggling in the Fandoqlou forest and expounded that for years, smugglers have deployed arson as a tactic to divert forest rangers. They set fire to one section of the forest, thereby attracting rangers’ attention, while they engage in clandestine tree cutting in another part. The fact that a section of the Fandoqlou forest burned in November, despite the absence of any fire history in the area, is an unequivocal indication of the malice behind this nefarious activity perpetrated by the smugglers.
Economic, livelihood problems
Nouri highlights the economic and livelihood problems plaguing the youth in the region as a significant factor behind the rampant deforestation and conversion of trees into charcoal. He laments the small number of protection forces in the area, consisting of merely ten personnel, rendering it impossible to monitor and safeguard the entire region continuously.
To address this, he advocates the cultivation of a culture that instills a sense of reverence for trees, regarded as valuable and living beings, among the locals through education and awareness programs. The commander emphasizes that it is not only the responsibility of the protection unit to preserve the region’s natural resources but also the duty of the entire community. Therefore, he urges the local officials to provide support and resources to the unit to increase its capacity and enhance its ability to enforce the laws and regulations related to the protection of natural resources.
Furthermore, he calls on the authorities to enforce stricter laws against wood smuggling and deal more severely with the smugglers. Unless urgent and decisive measures are taken, he warns that the Fandoqlou forest will cease to exist within a year.