ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Wildfires damaged around 568 hectares of forests and pastures in Iran’s western Kurdistan province between May and late September, a 10 percent increase compared with the same period last year, a provincial environmental official said, amid growing concerns over threats to the region’s biodiversity.
Farzad Zandi, head of the province’s Environmental Protection Department, said 23 fires were recorded during the five-month period, with most occurring in Sarvabad county, near the Shaho mountain range.
“Increased vegetation and negligence had contributed to the rise in fires in natural areas,” Zandi said, as cited by the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
The Shaho mountain range forms part of the Zagros Mountains, which stretch for approximately 1,600 kilometers across western Iran and into the Kurdistan Region.
The Zagros forests are of major ecological significance, accounting for roughly 40 percent of Iran’s total forested area and consisting predominantly of oak trees, according to a study published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports.
The forests play a vital role in supporting biodiversity, local livelihoods and food security. However, they have faced increasing pressure in recent decades from climate change, recurring droughts and wildfires.
The Shaho mountain range has also been subjected to repeated bombardment by Iranian forces in recent years, causing fires and environmental damage.
The latest figures come amid reports of renewed attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on forested areas in the region.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) cited local eyewitnesses, reporting that Iranian forces had bombarded mountainous areas in recent days, sparking fires.
Following similar reports of fire-starting in August in the nearby county of Kamyaran, IRGC forces claimed these actions were intended “to prevent Kurdish opposition party forces from using vegetation cover to carry out attacks.”
During these fires residents and environment activists rush to extinguish the fire which often results in injuries and their lives at risk.
During one of attempts to extinguish a fire a landmine exploded, seriously injuring one person.
According to the Oslo-based human rights group Hengaw, in late August this year, the incident happened as local residents and environmental activists were working to extinguish a wildfire in the forests and pastures near Paveh of the Kermansha province.
