Forest fires in northern Iran threaten the protected Hyrcanian Forests – the government asks Turkey and Russia for help
Kyiv • UNN
Forest fires in northern Iran have approached the unique Hyrcanian Forests, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Due to a lack of resources, the government has appealed to Turkey and Russia for assistance.
Prolonged forest fires in northern Iran have approached the unique Hyrcanian Forests – a UNESCO natural heritage site. The fire has been spreading through the mountainous terrain for two weeks, and the country is suffering from its worst drought in decades. This is reported by DPA, writes UNN.
Details
In Golestan province, dozens of firefighters tried to contain a large fire over the weekend, SNN television reported, citing the regional governor. Some of the hotspots are still not under control.
The fires are raging in the dense Hyrcanian Forests, which are over 50 million years old and have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2019. Due to the threatening spread of the fire and lack of resources, the Iranian government has appealed to Turkey and Russia for help.
The country is experiencing a prolonged drought – there has been no rainfall for months, which has dried out the soil and exacerbated water shortages. Experts note that normal autumn rains could have stopped the fires much faster.
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Criticism of the authorities for their slow response and the scale of the destruction is spreading on social media. Users and environmentalists emphasize that the government should pay more attention to protecting national natural resources, rather than spending money on regional conflicts.