Masoumeh Ebtekar called the endowment of part of Mount Damavand illegal.

The publication of the news of the endowment of a part of Mount Damavand has met with many reactions, and Ebtekar says that this is not possible according to the law. It is said that Mount Damavand is divided into 11 parts, and for one of those parts a deed of endowment has been issued in the name of the Endowment Department.

A few days ago, Iranian media reported the issuance of a court ruling transferring 5,600 hectares of the "Aq Mashhad" forests in Sari to an individual as an endowment, which surprised the country's Forests, Rangelands and Watershed Management Organization, as the custodian of natural resource protection, and prompted protests from nature lovers.

The online edition of the Hamshahri newspaper reported on Sunday, August 25, another story that seems far more surprising: the issuance of a deed of endowment for a part of Mount Damavand in the name of the Endowment Department. The Endowment Organization issued a statement on Sunday evening denying this news.

According to this report, the Natural Resources Organization has sought to locate and register Mount Damavand by providing a map of 11 plots from the mountain peak to the lands of its slopes. So far, 10 plots have been issued as national natural monuments, but there has been a dispute with the Endowment Department over one plot.

Apparently, the Endowment Department has agreed to submit a document to obtain a ruling from the Supreme Court in its favor and register a Mount Damavand plaque as an endowment.

Masoumeh Ebtekar, former head of the Environmental Protection Organization, says that Mount Damavand, with an area of ​​over 2,950 hectares, was registered as a "national natural monument" in 2002 and joined the collection of areas managed by this organization.

Damavand with the highest conservation status

The Vice President for Women and Family Affairs wrote in a Twitter message: "A national natural monument is the highest level of protection that, according to the law, cannot be transferred or exploited in any way."

The dispute between the Forests and Rangelands Organization and the Endowment Department over a part of Mount Damavand has been going on for about ten years. The Forests Organization has declared this part a national use, and accordingly, any interference or occupation is prohibited, but the Endowment Department has been able to obtain a deed for it as endowment land by filing a complaint.

The publication of the news of the endowment of part of Damavand has also had a wide impact on social media, and Noiter users have reacted to it with the hashtag "Damavand is not an endowment."

Endowment Organization: Endowment land is part of a pasture

According to IRNA, the Endowments and Charity Affairs Organization issued a statement on Sunday evening denying the registration of a deed for a part of Mount Damavand, calling the publication of the news "clear evidence of public concern."

The statement says: "Mount Damavand is part of the Anfal lands and logically, according to the jurisprudential rule "There is no endowment except in property", it cannot be owned and consequently cannot be endowed. The publication of this news is a clear example of the public's anxiety, which is usually fueled by such false news by anti-revolutionary media."

In response to this news, the Endowment Organization announced that the endowed land is not part of Mount Damavand, but rather part of a pasture.

Contrary to this claim, the news of the endowment of part of Damavand was widely published in the domestic media and was also published abroad. The Endowment Organization has also acknowledged that the aforementioned document relates to the endowment of the village and pastures of Malar "around Mount Damavand and does not include Mount Damavand itself in any way."

Mount Damavand is the highest mountain in Iran and is located in the central part of the Alborz mountain range south of the Caspian Sea. Damavand was included in the list of national monuments as the first natural monument in Iran in 2008.

This volcanic mountain is about 5,610 meters high at its highest peak and has been mentioned many times in Iranian mythology and is introduced in ancient legends as the place where Zahhak was captured.

Source: DW