Natural Resources Forms the Vital Element of Sustainable Development

Khalil Aghaee, Deputy Minister and Head of Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization (FRWO) in a meeting with Ayatollah Alavi Borujerdi lecturer in Qom seminary said that “the budget allocated from National Development Fund by the supreme leader in the last two years, has given a new life to natural resources”.

According to FRWO’s website, in this meeting, Mr. Aghaee who was accompanied by Hojjat ol-Islam Mostafa Tabatabaei-Nejad, Representative of Vali-e-Faqih at FRWO stated that we in FRWO do believe that management of natural resources is not feasible without people's full involvement. He also added that the existing personnel and equipments at FRWO do not match with the needs of management of 135 million hectares of natural resources in the country.

Head of FRWO said “last year, FRWO carried out IWM projects in 6 thousand pilot sites throughout the country which is going to be increased to 10 thousand sites this year". He added that our assessments show that in places where IWM projects are implemented by FRWO, the risk of flooding has been reduced and we have faced fewer damages”.

In this meeting, the Representative of Vali-e-Faqih at FRWO, referring to the economic hardship in the country today, said: “Development of natural resources sector can contribute to economic stability and sustainable livelihood of the people in the country." 

Ayatollah Alavi Boroujerdi reiterating that the sense of public ownership should be strengthened among people said: “Unfortunately, today, personal interests have taken precedence over national priorities that have made serious problems not only in natural resources sector but also in other branches of our economy".

He highlighted the necessity for cooperation of people in preserving natural resources and said that the national interests should prevail over personal and group monopolies.”

Ayatollah Alavi Boroujerdi noting that FRWO has not its real and deserved place in strategic management at the moment, said: “Unfortunately, little attention is paid to futures studies in planning new executive and managerial scenarios. Therefore, development issue normally does not go hand in hand with priories and eventually the ecosystem sustainability."