TEHRAN-- Iranian Deputy Agriculture Minister Abbas-Ali Nobakht and Belarusian Deputy Minister of Forest Management Vladimir Krech met in Tehran on Sunday, talking about ways to implement joint plans associated with forestry.While talking about the export of wood and saplings from Belarus to Iran, the two sides stressed the need to establish cooperation and transfer understanding and experience in the field of sapling production, combating bugs and diseases, and carrying out forestry projects, ILNA reported.Ambassador of Belarus Dmitry Koltsov and a variety of authorities from the natural resources and watershed management organizations of Iran were also present at the meeting.Nobakht said Iran has 11 of the 13 climates on the planet, and sometimes the temperature difference between different parts of it reaches 30 to 35 degrees Celsius.The oldest forest worldwide, the Hyrcanian forest, exists in the north of Iran, he highlighted.
There are forests in Iran that are more than three thousand years old, and the country likewise has extremely strong pastures and unusual deserts.
There are a total of 8,438 plant species in natural areas of Iran, some of which are rare worldwide, he stated, adding that of the overall area of 165 million hectares of Iran, about 135 million hectares are natural deposits.
The security of Irans forests is extremely important for us from an eco-friendly perspective, and for this factor, we banned the exploitation of wood from forests about six years earlier.
So, we need to produce wood required by markets either through wood cultivation or import from other countries.
We hope that in addition to importing wood, we will likewise enjoy the experience of Belarus in the production of saplings.
The Belarusian authorities, for his part, while revealing preparedness for cooperation and exchange of experiences in between the two nations in producing seedlings and fighting against pests and illness, said: We are prepared to invite the Iranian delegation to the forestry sites of Belarus.
We are totally capable of producing seedlings based upon Irans environment.
We have the capacity to provide raw materials required by wood processing industries in Iran, he added.Mostafa Jalili, an authorities with Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, has said 2.27 trillion rials (about $5.5 million) is projected to be invested on forestation plans.The nationwide budget plan costs for the next Iranian calendar year 1402, which starts on March 21, has designated the spending plan for dealing with wind erosion as well as sand and dust storms, IRNA quoted Jalili as saying.Moreover, 13.66 trillion rials (about 34 million) have been assigned for watershed management and soil defense, he added.Jalili went on to say that 8.57 trillion rials (about $21 million) have been designated for the protection, restoration, and exploitation of forests and pastures.In the existing year, some 26 trillion rials ($65 million) has been allocated to protecting natural resources in the fields of watershed management and soil defense, defense and sustainable exploitation of forests and pastures, and dealing with desertification, he noted.Meanwhile, a roadmap for environmental protection has been established, Rouhollah Naqdipour, the secretary of the strategic council of the Department of Environment, has announced.The file provides 13 nationwide macro techniques and 46 cross-sectoral procedures for five primary environmental obstacles, he said, IRNA reported.The 7-chapter book also recommends reforms for methodical purposeful solutions and policies to solve environmental problems consisting of the water crisis, he explained.He listed the five significant environmental challenges of the country as the imbalance between water resources and consumption leading to drought, soil disintegration, waste and sand and dust storms, air pollution in cities, damage of biodiversity and genetic resources, and imbalance between the environment and commercial and civil development.MG