FRWO Stresses the Role of Cooperatives and Associations in Range Management

The General managers and members of the National Association of Natural Resources Cooperatives and the Union of Rangelands Associations met and conferred with Acting Head of FRWO on Sunday.

According to FRWO’s website, Dr. Khosrow Shahbazi expressed his satisfaction over the meeting and said: “Natural resources comprise 135 million hectares of our national territory and FRWO needs the active involvement and participation of people to manage these vast expanses that cannot be achieved without people's full participation”.

In this meeting, he reiterated that people's participation and opinion are integral part of FRWO’s roadmap to managing natural resources. Therefore, the message and guidelines of the Supreme Leader as to “the conservation of natural resources must become a public norm” is directly linked with the active involvement of people in natural resources management.

Dr. Shahbazi emphasized the need for participation of people, especially women in natural resources decision-making, and said: “The world is moving in this direction and the active participation and role of women today can contribute to norms that enhance nature conservation and promote natural resources status.”

He told the audience: “I deeply believe that NGOs and cooperatives do serve as a vehicle in bringing people and nature together to enhance meaningful cooperation for a better world."

He emphasized the need for establishment of a natural resources micro –credit fund and further elaborated that it might push start small local businesses and helps improve the subsistence and income of villagers.

He called for the increased support to natural resource cooperatives and associations, and reiterated that laws and legal capacities should be aligned to transfer management of natural resources projects to local communities.

In this meeting, Head of Union of Rangelands Associations said that range management development plan and economics of rangelands are part and parcel of our natural resource management realities today that must be achieved by institutionalizing the medicinal plants development and Natural Resources Fund.

“Some 65 percent of the country's meat products and 20 percent of our dairy products are natural and organic and are produced directly by rangelands”. He added.

He also said: “At present, the livelihoods of 916,000 local households are directly dependent on rangelands”.

Based on this report, Dr. Khosro Shahbazi urged that the representatives of Association of Natural Resources Cooperatives and the Union of Rangelands Associations be represented in the technical committee and administrative council of NRWM departments in provinces.