Preservation of Hyrcanian forests is vital
The Hyrcanian forests boast a unique ancient history, shaped by millennia of human settlement that has had a profound impact on its vegetation cover. With increased awareness and the implementation of proper management practices, the preservation of these forests is vital.
Friba Babaei, the head of the Hyrcanian World Heritage Site at the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization of Gilan Province, highlighted in a note that this natural wonder, which has evolved over several million years, was officially recognized as the second natural heritage site in Iran by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on July 10, 2019. This significant designation took place during the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan, chtn.ir wrote.
Azerbaijan’s Hirkan Forest has been included in the United Nations’ list of Natural World Heritage sites as an extension of Iran’s Hyrcanian Forests. This decision was made during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Saudi Arabia. With this endorsement, the unique and diverse landscape of the Hyrcanian Forests, renowned for their distinct features, is now fully represented and protected.
This valuable heritage, with its globally distinctive natural features, also boasts a unique ancient history. Situated between the Alborz Mountains to the south and the Caspian Sea to the north, the Hyrcanian region enjoyed a warm and humid climate during the last Ice Age, with only its highest peaks experiencing glaciation. The region’s stable climate, extensive temperate forests, rich diversity of flora and fauna, and abundant water sources have rendered it an alluring destination and a secure sanctuary for human settlement. Consequently, this area stands as a significant hub for early human dispersal.
According to numerous archaeologists, coastal areas have always held significant importance for human communities. This significance heightened after the extinction of large animals, with rising sea levels approximately 7,000 years ago shifting the focus of hunter-gatherer societies towards coastal regions. Despite this trend, many ancient sites have been unearthed at considerable distances from the coastline due to various factors. These factors encompass notable fluctuations in the Caspian Sea’s water levels, the presence of marshy lands unsuitable for habitation during the Stone Age epoch, and dense forests that limited light penetration at the forest floor.
Nevertheless, traces of extensive human habitation from the Stone Age era have been uncovered in open-air sites, rock shelters, and caves situated far beyond today’s coastlines, often at the boundaries of plains and forested hills or ecotones. One compelling illustration is the Darband Cave in Rudbar, Gilan Province, exhibiting a history of settlement dating back 230,000 years.
Genetic research on human communities in the region indicates that the genetic composition of the populace residing along the southern shores of the Caspian Sea maintains distinctiveness from Central Asia and neighboring areas. Along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, numerous ancient civilizations thrived, viewed as indigenous to the region. Notably, the advanced civilization of Marlik stands as a remnant of the ancient peoples who once inhabited the Gilan Province.
The appellation “Hyrcania” traces back to the ancient moniker Gorgan, signifying the land of wolves (as gorg translates to wolf in Persian). The oldest extant maps from this epoch hail from the Medes era, with Hyrcania eventually becoming a component of the Achaemenid Empire during the Persian Empire’s reign. Records of Hyrcania’s conquest are absent, yet insights gleaned from the Bisotoun Inscription affirm its inclusion within Persian territories until 522 BCE.
The soldiers from Hyrcania were integral to a significant military force under King Xerxes in 480 BCE during the conflict with the Greeks. At that juncture, a contingent of Hyrcanian soldiers safeguarded the passes of the Cai’cus and Hermus valleys in Asia Minor.
In the era of the Persian Empire, a defensive barrier was erected to shield Hyrcania from the Central Asian nomadic tribes. Presently, the remains of this barrier, referred to as the “Alexander Wall,” endure in the region north of the Gorgan River, superseding the defensive fortifications of the Achaemenid era.
Following the conquest by Alexander the Great, Hyrcania became part of the newly established Seleucid Empire. References to the Hyrcanians surface during the Battle of Gaugamela in October 1, 331 BCE, and in August of 329 BCE, following the demise of the last Iranian king, Darius III, numerous Iranian nobles sought refuge in Hyrcania and yielded to Alexander there.
In the context of the Parthian dominion, Hyrcania occupied a strategic position within the empire, bridging their territories and the steppe regions considered their homeland. Parthian rulers selected a city in Hyrcania for their summer residence.
The enduring legacy of settlement within the Hyrcanian region left a lasting imprint on its vegetation cover. Nonetheless, vast expanses of these forests remained untouched until the early nineteenth century. Subsequently, a surge in deforestation and industrial activities ensued, leading to the shrinking of this precious natural expanse to just over one million hectares today.
Numerous threats continue to imperil the Hyrcanian forests, underscoring the necessity for heightened awareness and efficacious implementation of preservation and management approaches to curb further degradation.