Civil Society Prevents the Destruction of A Valuable Garden

Experts believe the natural pristine forests of Iran, belonging to the Hircanian age, probably date back to between 2-3 million years ago. These natural forests are a natural reservoir of diverse flora and fauna and exceptional beauty. They comprise up to 4% of the country's area and are under constant pressure from legal and illegal logging, urbanization and industrialization projects. Situated at the north of Iran andsouthern border of the Caspian sea, these forests are a natural touristic attraction for millions of people who visit the north every year.
Since two years ago, State officials announced plans to construct a highway passing between the Nowshahr Botanical Gardens in Mazandaran. This botanic reservoir which dates more than 5 decades ago is a  unique collection of living plants many of which are at the verge of extinction. Many of these plants are also ornamental as well. In addition to research and education, the Garden is a touristic attraction as well. At that time many NGOs and environmental activists opposed the action and certain members of the Garden administration filed a legal claim against the local authorities. This led to a judicial verdict and the plans were temporarily cancelled.
Last week a new directive was issued to begin the destruction of the Garden on Wednesday. NGOs and civil society activists began a campaign to protest against the action and to prevent the government from executing its directive. They also signed a petition asking Dr. Rouhani the President elect to take action to prevent the destruction of this valuable biodiversity reservoir.
NGOs arrived on the site on Wednesday to see that the directive has been temporarily annulled and construction activity cancelled.

Recent Presidential elections resulted in the victory of the moderate candidate who called for change. This event indicates that the winds of change are on the way and there is much reason for optimism.

Arasbaran

Nature lovers can find many attractive and beautiful sites in Iran. On the Eid Fetr vacation we found the opportunity to visit Arasbaran and the Aras river along with family members. The Aras river is located in the Nouth Western border of Iran, adjacent to the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia and the disputed Nakhjavan territory. This large river has green riversides with tall bushes. In that region,  we also visited two ancient Churches , the Church of Saint Stephanus ( the first Christian martyr) and the Church of Nana Maryam. The Church of Saint Stepanus was open for the public and parts were under renovation and protection as monuments of national heritage. The presence of these historical sites are a clear indication of the long history of peaceful coexistence among followers of divine religions in Iran.
As we traveled from the Aras river to the southwest we entered the perimeters of Kiamaki Protected Area and further down the Arasbaran Forests Protected Area.  This trip was reminiscent of the many visits I had as Head of the Department of Environment some years ago, only now I was with the family and not the DOE directors and personnel. The pristine Arasbaran forests of Iran are recognized as one of the important biodiversity hotspots of the globe, meaning that the diversity of flora and fauna in this region is very high.
As we enjoyed the magnificent scenes, news of the street clashes and arrests of protestors in Urumieh and Tabriz who had objected to the trend of drought in Lake Urumieh brought us back to the realities of environmental degradation. In the previous week ,I was asked to make several interviews on the policies and measures taken during my tenure to combat the trend leading to the drying up of the Urumieh National Park. I had given detailed explanations on the research project leading to a management scheme and the measures and strategies we had taken to engage both the water and agriculture sectors on this matter to provide the water required by the lake on a regular basis. The DOE had warned the officials in 1998 we had layed out a road map for the protection of the Lake. Many parts of that project were underway  in 2004 . These protection schemes and strategies were later abandoned by the ninth government and only reconsidered recently after serious protests rocked the region. No one can dispute the fact that the environment was never a priority for the government of Mr. Ahmadinejad.