Iran’s Forests and Rangelands; Over 1,000 Fires in Three Months

From Farvardin to Tir of the current year, approximately 1,100 cases of forest and rangeland fires have occurred in Iran. The commander of the protection unit of Iran’s Organization of Forests states that there is deliberate involvement that demonstrates the incompetence of relevant organizations.

Colonel Ali Abbasnezad, commander of the protection unit of Iran’s Organization of Forests, says that from the beginning of the current Persian year until now (eighth of Tir), approximately 1,100 fires have occurred in the country’s forests and rangelands. About 300 of these cases have occurred in the past 10 days.

A report by the Global Forest Watch organization, which is based on maps from various NASA satellites, shows that Khuzestan, Fars, Bushehr, Ilam, and Isfahan provinces have had the most fire incidents. Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Hormozgan, Razavi Khorasan, Tehran, and Kermanshah are in the following ranks.

The commander of the protection unit of Iran’s Organization of Forests told the ISNA news agency today, Sunday, the eighth of Tir (June 28): “From our perspective, a percentage of these fires are deliberate and there is intentional involvement to demonstrate the inefficiency of relevant organizations, and there may even be political exploitation behind this matter.”

Following the widespread fires in recent weeks across Iran, members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly have demanded clarification from the interior and information ministers. Alireza Salimi, a member of the parliamentary presidium, had said two weeks ago: “The fires that have occurred are suspicious and necessary clarification must be provided regarding them.”

The inability of “relevant organizations” and lack of facilities, including fire-fighting helicopters, due to insufficient budget allocation for the protection of the country’s natural resources, is not a new issue.

Iran’s forests and rangelands become prey to flames every year, and simultaneously, part of their area is destroyed due to the lack of effective environmental policies. According to official statistics, in just the past five years, 60,000 hectares of Iran’s forests have been lost due to fires, pests and diseases, dam construction, road building, construction activities, and timber smuggling.

According to the commander of the protection unit of Iran’s Organization of Forests, only in the past week, approximately 800 hectares of the country’s forest and rangeland areas have been affected by fires. The extent of damage caused by these fires is still unclear.

Colonel Abbasnezad said in another part of his remarks: “So far, several people have been arrested on charges of deliberately setting fires in forests and rangelands, and the matter is being pursued through judicial authorities.”

The legal deputy of Iran’s Organization of Forests and Rangelands had previously announced that according to an agreement made with the country’s prosecutor general, it has been decided that individuals who deliberately set fire to forests and rangelands will be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years imprisonment.

Source: DW