29 Mar 2024
Saturday 21 January 2017 - 16:05
Story Code : 247829

Arasbaran forest eyes 2017 UNESCO listing

Financial Tribune- The dossier for Arasbaran Forest in East Azarbaijan Province will be submitted to UNESCO this week, as authorities eye Irans second natural site on the coveted World Heritage List.

Last year, Lut Desert became Irans first natural site on UNESCOs list.

The document is ready for submission, IRNA quoted Morteza Abdar, the head of the provincial office of Irans Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, as saying.

Abdar added that both ICHHTO and the Department of Environment worked together to prepare the dossier.

If approved, the dossier will be reviewed by the World Heritage Committee during the committees 41st session (July 2-12) in Krakow, Poland.

Officials believe the regions infrastructure drastically needs restoration but acknowledge that it is necessary to keep the constructions ecofriendly.

One of the distinctive features of Arasbaran Forest is its plant diversity. It contains 1/19 of Europes plant diversity and 1/4 of Frances. Despite covering only 5% of the countrys total area, the forest boasts 13% of Irans vegetation and is home to 29% of mammal, 44% of bird, 32% of amphibian, 9% of fish and 20% of reptile populations in the country.

Another feature that enhances the cultural and historical value of the forest is the presence of Shahsavand nomads, a tribe that has inhabited the region for centuries.

Mammoth fossils in the southern areas of the forest also indicate its high geological value that, along with the forests vulnerability to negative human impact, prompted DOE to designate the region as a protected area in the 1970s.

In 1976, about 72,460 hectares of the region were registered as a biosphere reserve by UNESCOs Man and the Biosphere Program. Iran is home to 21 world heritage sites, more than any other country in the Middle East.
https://theiranproject.com/vdcb5zb59rhbawp.4eur.html
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