Conservation of Forests Guarantees National Interests

Acting Head of FRWO said that logging ban initiative should take national interest into account rather than sectoral or exploiters' private interests in forest management.

According to FRWO’s website, Dr. Khosrow Shahbazi Acting Head of FRWO attending the scientific gathering on Challenges and opportunities of “Logging Ban Initiative” (LBI) which was held at Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University in Sari said that Caspian forest is among the unique natural heritages in Iran that deserve optimum conservation for future generations therefore “Logging Ban Initiative” (LBI) that has been devised as a law in close cooperation with academic and scientific communities with emphasis on conservation approach aims to guarantee a brighter future for this valuable asset. 

He added: “In 1955, the area of Caspian forest was 2.5 million hectares that as the result of heavy logging pressure, decreased to less than 1.8 million hectares in the late nineties, and eventually led to an ecosystem crisis”.

Acting Head of FRWO noted that upon the implementation of conservation programs in the last two decades, the forest area has increased to about 2 million hectares that shows a high performance in terms of forest conservation and development programs.

Dr. Shahbazi, with reference to the figures that 60 million cubic meters of wood harvested over 60 years from the Caspian forest, mentioned the implementation of the forest Logging Ban Initiative (LBI) as an opportunity for revival of the Caspian forest.

Shahbazi said that our approach to natural resource management is being constantly monitored by international communities, and it is generally believed that the Hyrcanian forests cannot tolerate any further pressure.

At the meeting, the Head of Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources said the lack of comprehensive approach to the implementation of Logging Ban Initiative (LBI) would divert the plan from its original course, but could also endanger the ecosystem in the north part of the country.

He added: “Today we are dumping large amount of garbage all over the Caspian forests that are damaging the forests rather than logging operation”.