An Official from the Forest Organization: Nearly Two Million Hectares of Oak Forests Have Dried Up

The Director General of the Northern Forests Office of the Forests and Rangelands Organization of Iran stated that "mismanagement of water resources" has led to soil erosion and the drying up of land, affecting 1.8 million hectares of oak forests. According to a report on Thursday (March 10), Fariborz Ghaibi made these remarks today at the "Nature Partners" conference in Borujerd, adding that the "volume of forests" in Iran is decreasing daily and that the drop in groundwater levels has resulted in the loss of forests. He noted that natural resources in Iran are "abandoned" and that "we have no plans for their restoration." Mr. Ghaibi then criticized the existence of "very limited" funding in the field of natural resources in the country, stating that "we cannot restore natural resources with empty hands." IRNA also reported that Abbas Goudarzi, the representative of Borujerd and Eshtehard in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, identified one of the "main causes" of the dust phenomenon in the country as the "excessive destruction of natural resources and the loss of forest cover." He called for "public participation in the restoration of natural resources" and warned of the consequences of the "excessive destruction of nature" in Iran, including the spread of dust storms to all provinces in the near future. Drought and the decline in groundwater levels, coupled with poor management of water resources and excessive consumption, have not only caused problems in providing drinking water in Iran but have also created difficulties for farmers and harmed natural resources and forests. Iran has faced "serious limitations" in water resources for years, and "enduring consecutive 15-year droughts" has made conditions difficult for many regions of the country. In December of this year, Reza Shahbazi, the Director General of Research at the Geological Survey Organization, reported on the expansion of drought phenomena and the "unsatisfactory" state of agriculture, stating that 50% of Iran's dams are empty. Previously, Masoumeh Ebtekar, the head of the Environmental Protection Organization, had stated that forecasts indicate that by 2050, drought and reduced precipitation in Iran will be 11 times the current conditions. In this context, the head of the National Drought Center stated that 80% of Iran's lands are threatened by drought, and a geological organization official noted that 50% of Iran's dams are empty. Reports indicate unprecedented drought in coastal areas of Khuzestan, a 34% reduction in water inflow to Iran's dams; five dams are in a critical condition.