Iran Closes Major Forests to Tourists, Declares Red Alert Over Fire Risk

Iran has closed its northern Hyrcanian forests, Zagros forests and the Arasbaran region to tourists and non-essential traffic due to extreme fire risk amid severe drought conditions.

Colonel Majid Zakariaei, commander of Iran’s Natural Resources Management Protection Unit, announced a red alert for the forest areas and said they will remain closed until sufficient rainfall.

All northern forests in Mazandaran, Golestan and Gilan provinces are closed until further notice, along with the Zagros forests and the Arasbaran region, Zakariaei told the state-run IRNA news agency.

The closure follows widespread fires over the past days in Golestan province, particularly in the forested areas of Ali Abad Katoul, Kordkooy and Ramian, which Zakariaei called “a serious alarm bell” for all Hyrcanian forests.

Iran has recorded 2,310 forest and rangeland fires this year, burning 18,009 hectares (44,508 acres), according to official numbers.

The number of fires increased 12 per cent compared to the same period last year, while burned areas decreased 2 per cent.

Human factors caused 95 per cent of the fires, Zakariaei said.

Fars province had the most burned area with 12,841 hectares, followed by Kurdistan with 4,875 hectares, Kermanshah with 4,737 hectares, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad with 4,241 hectares, and West Azerbaijan with 3,216 hectares.

The Hyrcanian forests, which stretch along Iran’s Caspian Sea coast, are among the world’s oldest and most biodiverse temperate forests and are designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.