Iran's forests and pastures: More than a thousand fires in three months

From April to July of this year, about 1,100 fires have occurred in Iran's forests and rangelands. The commander of the Iranian Forestry Organization's protection unit says that this is a case that shows the inefficiency of the relevant organizations.

Colonel Ali Abbasnejad, commander of the Forestry Organization's Protection Unit in Iran, says that since the beginning of this solar year (July 28), about 1,100 fires have occurred in the country's forests and rangelands. About 300 of these have occurred in the past 10 days.

The Global Forest Watch report, which is based on maps from various NASA satellites, shows that the provinces of Khuzestan, Fars, Bushehr, Ilam, and Isfahan have had the most fires. Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, Hormozgan, Khorasan Razavi, Tehran, and Kermanshah are in the next ranks.

The commander of the Forestry Organization's Protection Unit in Iran told ISNA news agency on Sunday, June 28: "In our opinion, a percentage of these fires are intentional and there is a hand in it that shows the inefficiency of the relevant organizations, and it is even possible that political exploitation is behind this issue."

Following the widespread fires across Iran in recent weeks, members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly have demanded an explanation from the interior and intelligence ministers. Alireza Salimi, a member of the presiding board of the parliament, said two weeks ago: “The fires that have occurred are suspicious and the necessary clarification must be made about them.”

The inability of "relevant organizations" and the lack of facilities, including firefighting helicopters, due to the lack of sufficient funding for the protection of the country's natural resources, is not a new issue.

Iran's forests and rangelands are the victims of wildfires every year, and at the same time, part of their area is being destroyed due to the lack of effective environmental policies. According to official statistics, in the past five years alone, 60,000 hectares of Iran's forests have been destroyed due to fires, pests and diseases, dam construction, road construction, development activities, and timber smuggling.

According to the commander of the Forestry Organization's Protection Unit in Iran, in the past week alone, about 800 hectares of forest and rangeland in the country have been affected by fires. The extent of the damage caused by these fires is still unclear.

In another part of his speech, Colonel Abbasnejad said: "So far, several people have been arrested on charges of deliberately setting fires in forests and pastures, and the matter is being pursued through judicial authorities."

The deputy legal director of the Iranian Forests and Rangelands Organization had previously announced that, according to an agreement reached with the country's Attorney General, it has been determined that people who intentionally set fires to forests and rangelands will be sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.

Source: Dw