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In recent days, widespread wildfires have severely impacted various regions of Iran, including Karkheh National Park in Khuzestan Province and the forests and rangelands of Ab Kenar and Khan Ahmad Basht in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province. Drought and human activities have been identified as the primary causes of these devastating fires.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, June 4, ISNA News Agency published images<\/a> of a significant wildfire in Karkheh National Park, which started on Monday, June 3, in the forest area of Khois village in Karkheh County. State media claimed that the fire had been contained. However, the dry conditions and human factors continue to pose a severe threat to this region, which is the main habitat for the Iranian deer and annually sees hundreds of hectares of land destroyed.<\/p>\n Simultaneously, IRNA News Agency reported<\/a> that wildfires in the forests and rangelands of Basht, in the Ab Kenar and Khan Ahmad area, began on Sunday afternoon “for unknown reasons.” Despite the challenging conditions caused by dry grass and strong winds, the fires have been difficult to control.<\/p>\n The escalating frequency of intentional forest fires in Iran is leading to significant loss of vegetation and forest cover. Hossein Mirzaei<\/a>, Acting Director-General of the Lorestan Natural Resources and Watershed Management Department, previously stated that converting forest and rangeland areas into agricultural lands is one of the main human-induced causes of these fires. Similarly, Hassan Ahmadi, a professor of natural resources at the University of Tehran, highlighted that while Iran and Turkey both had 18 million hectares of forest in 1953, Iran’s forest area has now shrunk to 12 million hectares, whereas Turkey has expanded its forests to 40 million hectares.<\/p>\n Destruction of Tens of Hectares of Forests and Grasslands Western #Iran<\/a> in Maneuvers of the Revolutionary Guards. https:\/\/t.co\/uuENGT0AyK<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/cGY3J51Nwc<\/a><\/p>\n — NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 12, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n