TEHRAN – Iran has set a target of restoring 20 million hectares of rangeland under the country’s Seventh National Development Plan, a senior official at the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization said.

Abolghasem Hosseinpour, director general of the organization’s rangeland affairs office, said 7.6 million hectares have so far been rehabilitated.

He told a meeting of provincial deputies on Tuesday that rangelands serve as a protective layer for fragile ecosystems in arid regions.

“This biological belt plays a crucial role in preventing the spread of desertification,” Hosseinpour said, stressing that low-density and degraded rangelands require special programs for sustainable protection, rehabilitation and management.

Hosseinpour noted that climate change, reduced rainfall and shrinking snow cover are intensifying stress on the country’s rangelands.

EF/MA