Iran Seeks Assistance as 50 Million-Year-Old Forests Burn Due to Drought

Iran has appealed to various countries for assistance in extinguishing fires in the Caspian Hyrcanian forests, which are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This was reported by Die Zeit, citing Iranian Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohammad Javad Geypanaqi.

According to Shin Ansari, head of the Department of Environmental Protection, Turkey has already sent two planes and a helicopter to the fire zone. He noted that Iran is considering cooperation with Russia if necessary.

As reported by Iran International, authorities attribute the cause of the fire to human factors. The blaze broke out a week ago in the Elit district, not far from the city of Chalus. Firefighting efforts have been severely hampered due to strong winds, drought, and mountainous terrain. Firefighters are currently attempting to prevent the spread of the fire to nearby villages.

The current drought in Iran has become the most severe in the past few decades. Since October, some regions have not seen any rainfall, causing water levels to drop in several reservoirs in Tehran and central provinces, making them no longer usable and leading to intermittent water supply cuts in homes.

The Hyrcanian forests are located across Iran and Azerbaijan along the Caspian Sea coastline. They are considered among the oldest forests in the country, with ages ranging from 25 to 50 million years. The Hyrcanian forests are home to thousands of animal and plant species, including endemic and rare ones; for example, Persian leopards and brown bears inhabit these areas. The oldest trees can reach ages of 300-400 years, with some possibly being 500 years old. More than 3,200 plant species grow in this region.

These forests stretch nearly 1,000 kilometers along the Iranian Caspian Sea coast and into Azerbaijan.