TEHRAN, Iran, July 5
Trend:
Desertification operations have been carried out for 7.5 million hectares of Iran`s lands, the head of the Forests, Rangelands, and Watershed Management Organization of Iran (FRWMO) has said.
The Deputy Minister of Jihad for Agriculture and the head of the Forests, Rangelands, and Watershed Management Organization of Iran (FRWMO) Masoud Mansour said over 88 percent of our country can be affected by desertification, Trend reports citing IRNA.
According to a survey conducted in 2018, 37 million hectares of Iran are at risk of land degradation, he said. "This research was based on three indicators: reduction of coverage, reduction of fertility and reduction of carbon reserves."
Referring to the mentioned studies, he says that erosion has caused more than $714 million of damage to infrastructure and lands annually.
Regarding the policy of managing desert areas, Mansour said that the FRWMO sat a management method based on the participation of local communities, such as camel breeding and installation of wind and solar power plants.
