People Participation: Strategy for Sustainable Development of Natural Resources

Khalil Aghaee, Deputy Minister and Head of Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization (FRWO) at the 10th National Conference of the Network of Environmental NGOs on Wednesday said that all strategies have already been tested for the implementation of sustainable natural resources management and we have come to this conclusion that there is no efficient strategy without the involvement of the people in the conservation, and development of natural resources.

According to FRWO’s website, Aghaee referring to the role of natural resources management for development and prosperity of human societies, said: “Natural resources is the driving force behind the country's development, therefore the wise and balanced use of these resources can lead to public welfare and social security, However, extravagant and unsustainable use of resources without considering its benefits for the future generations can end up to poverty and in the worse cases to the destruction of societies.

Head of FRWO in the Q&A session of the conference with environmental and natural resources activists, with the presence of deputies of FRWO added: " special attention given to natural resource in recent years especially by the Supreme Leader and other high-ranking officials is unprecedented in the history of FRWO, that has accordingly made FRWO’s responsibility more demanding than before. 

He highlighted the need for public participation for natural resources restoration and said: “we strongly believe that every intervention at field level should be carried out with peoples' involvement. In natural resources sector, therefore, we should assign the responsibility of protection and preservation to the people if we are to get successful results in the field of natural resources mangement.

He added that FRWO is strengthening and expanding Hyrcanian forests conservation belt this year, to 2.07 million hectares of Hyrcanian forests compared with present figure of 1.05 million hectares at the moment.

Khalil Aghaee urged that despite of all concerns and warnings of international agencies as to the extinction of Buxus hyrcana aftermath buxus blight invasion that destroyed 35,000 ha of this ever-green species, FRWO did its utmost endeavor to save the species through transplantation, spray of solution, seed collection and preservation techniques that eventually bore fruit with new evidences of buxus revival.

"FRWO is not opposed to agricultural, mining and touristic activities in natural resources, but prevent any destruction of natural resources due to unauthorized / unscientific exploitation" he added.

He pointed out that last year; some 27,000 lawsuits were filed against land grabbing violations, and said: “We do not charge local villagers for land grabbing violations if they destroy a piece of public land, and we do believe that the way we deal with them must be different from those who come from towns to villages to invade national lands in various ways”.