TEHRAN – The Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization is planning to hold an international conference on Zagros forest in the next Iranian calendar year, which will start on March 21.

Highlighting that promoting natural resources diplomacy is one of the priorities of the organization, Rasoul Ashrafipour, an official with the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, said “We will particularly invite countries with a Mediterranean climate, in which vegetation is similar to that of Zagros and have taken effective measures toward its preservation, as well as countries with arid and semi-arid climates,” ISNA reported.

He made the remarks on the occasion of the natural resources and watershed management week, which will start on March 5 with the theme “consensus and empathy for preserving natural resources”.

Referring to climate change's adverse effects on natural resources, Ashrafipour said that Metrological data show that the increase in temperature in the country has been higher than the global average, which has a significant impact on climate change.

Therefore, the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, in cooperation with the Metrological Organization, will prepare some new documents in the next six months, the official noted.

National week on natural resources and watershed management 

March 5 is celebrated annually as National Tree Planting Day by planting saplings across the country.

The event is held on the fifteenth day of Esfand, the last month on the Iranian calendar, and it marks the beginning of the National Week of Natural Resources. Also, the day has been approved to be registered on the national calendar as ‘Environmental Protection Education Day’. 

Ali Teymouri, the head of the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, has said deserts constitute some 32 million hectares of 134 million hectares of natural land across the country.

Forests and pastures also account for 17.5 million hectares and 84 million hectares of natural land, respectively, he added, IRNA reported.

According to the secretary of the national policymaking headquarters for dealing with sand and dust storms, 2.5 million hectares of sand dust storm hotspots in the country have been stabilized over the past six years.

The measure has been taken in cooperation with other organizations, particularly the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization. 

SDS hotspots in 23 provinces of the country cover roughly 35 million hectares. They are responsible for generating dust across the country, ISNA quoted Ali-Mohammad Tahmasbi as saying.

“Khuzestan is one of the most important provinces where appropriate measures need to be taken to address the problem.

About 52 percent of the allocated budget for the fight against sand and dust storms is dedicated to Khuzestan province,” the official noted.

Referring to the stabilization of 120,000 hectares of SDS hotspots in the southeast of the province as one of the significant measures of the national headquarters, Tahmasbi called it an example of successful cooperation and synergy between the administration and other institutions.

He further emphasized the significance of adopting measures based on the specific situation of any region, such as the type of soil, climate, available water resources, as well as scientific principles to achieve the desired results.

Utilizing experiences from implemented plans, their strengths and weaknesses, and the capacity of people, farmers, and ranchers can also help implement future plans more successfully, Tahmasbi added.

MT/MG