Open Data Iran: 21,000 Hectares of Forests and Pastures Burn Annually

While widespread fires in Marivan have destroyed 300 hectares of Zagros forests, the 'Open Data Iran' platform reports: 'This is not the first and largest forest fire in Iran,' and that annually 21,000 hectares of Iran's forests and pastures are burned. According to the Open Data Iran platform, between the years 2011 and 2021, approximately 103,000 hectares of forests and 125,000 hectares of pastures in Iran have been lost due to fires. Statistical data from the Forests, Rangelands, and Watershed Management Organization indicates that during this same period, there were over 10,527 forest fires and 11,576 pasture fires in the country. Thus, for each fire incident, about 10 hectares of forests and 11 hectares of pastures have been destroyed. The worst statistics during these years pertain to the year 2020, where the number of fire incidents was 80% higher and the area burned was 130% greater than the annual average. A report on the socio-economic status of provinces on the Iran Statistics Center website also shows that the extent and level of forest destruction in the central and southern Zagros regions is greater than in other areas of the country. Severe heat and fires on both sides of the Mediterranean; Greece: No magic solution to the problem. The arrest of five environmental activists in Marivan coincides with the ongoing forest fires in Kurdistan. Widespread fires in Zanjan and Kermanshah. The increasing trend of deforestation in Iran in the year of forests.