The Project Document was co-signed by Head of Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Organization (FRWO) and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Iran on 5 May 2013 and ended in June 2019. Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests Ecoregion is one of the types of forests that have created unique landscapes especially in Iran. Reduction of herding units in the Fariroud-Zilakiroud pilot site (270 herding unites). The Caspian Sea coastal plains were once covered by Chestnut-leaved Oak, European Box, Black Alder, Caucasian Alder, Caspian Poplar and Caucasian Wingnut, but these forests have been almost entirely converted to urban and agricultural land. The Hyrcanian forest has created a unique ecosystem that qualifies it as a"masterpiece of nature creative genius". The region is outstanding for its rich agrobiodiversity with numerous endemic cultivated taxa. In fact, the Alborz Mountain range forms a natural protecting barrier, which prevents the transit of humidity from the Caspian Sea to the rest of Iran. They cover parts of the five Iranian provinces of Northern Khorasan, Golestan, Mazandaran, Gilan, and Ardabil. Your email address will not be published. Azerbaijan. WWF and IUCN, Cambridge, UK. In TasteIran, we help visitors from all over the world to find the best and most unique experiences in Iran. Publishing House "Misl", Moscow. are found in the lower mountain zone.

Heywood, and A.C. Hamilton, editors. We are an Iranian company specializing in tailor-made itineraries, group tour packages and independent travel to Iran. Hyrcanian Forests are home to 180 bird species and nearly 60 mamal species including the conic Persian leopard. Forest rehabilitation and protection in the Fariroud-Zilakiroud pilot site (316HA). Copyright 2021 TasteIran - All Rights Reserved. Lowland has been covered by alder (Alnus barbata) forests: now this areas are almost totally under agricultural and urban lands. As the result, the environment which this mother forest made is an unprecedented experience of ethnic groups with their special rituals, handicrafts and heaven of culinary which doesn't need to mention the north of Iran is a dreamland for food lovers and architectural scenic beauty which are even diverse as you travel through the west to east of north.

Other mammals which still inhabit the area are critically endangered leopard ( Panthera pardus ciscaucasica), lynx (Lynx lynx), brown bear (Ursus arctos), wild boar (Sus scrofa), wolf (Canis lupus), jackal (C. aureus), jungle cat (Felis chaus), badger (Meles meles), and otter (Lutra lutra). Come along to discover the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests, as the only humid forests in Iran which is home to thousands of endemic plants and significant animal species like the Hyrcanian tiger that Shakespeare has mentioned in Macbeth. Caspian Hyrcanian Forests include an area of rich lowland and mountain forests of variant biodiversity. We will roll out the Forest Breathing project in 2 million hectares of the Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests in 2020-21.. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The mankind habitants of the Hyrcanian forests. Biodiversity Assessment for Azerbaijan. The trace of the Hyrcanians and their myths. Interestingly, Hyrcanian Forests could survive the fourth period of geology, known as Ice Age, compared to other forests around the world which vanished as the result of this phenomenon. Governmental and non-governmental project stakeholders included Forest, Range Land & Watershed Management Organisation (FRWO), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Energy, Handicrafts, Ecotourism, and Cultural Heritage Organization, academia, Islamic councils of villages, local community, and NGOs. with shrubs/semi-shrubs Ilex hyrcana, Ruscus hyrcanus, Dana racemosa, and lianas - Smilax excelsa, Hedera pastuchowii, etc. For more general information on this ecoregion, go to the WildWorld version of this description. Also, if you are visiting Hyrcanian Forests for the first time, make sure to take a walk in the woods with a tour guide who would be familiar with the environment. Consequently, they are rich in relic and endemic plant species. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The incredible climate of Hyrcanian forests is a combination of "humid subtropical", "oceanic", and "humid continental" which made it a great ecoregion of flora and fauna. Trekking in Gilan, Ascending to the Most Green Peak of Iran, Considered to be a sacred place, the Persian garden was surrounded by walls, not everyone was allowed to enter, A rich technical culture that is built to serve the sustainable development, Yazd, a "don't miss" destination in Iran is exactly what you have never seen before, Welcome to the original homeland of Persia. The lower slopes of Talysh and Alborz Mountains below 700 metres (2,300 ft) harbor diverse humid forests containing Chestnut-leaved Oak, European Hornbeam, Persian Ironwood, Caucasian Zelkova, Persian Silk Tree, and Date-plum along with shrubs holly, Ruscushyrcanus, Dana racemosa and and lianas Smilax excelsa and Hedera pastuchovii (Mosadegh, 2000; Marvie Mohadjer, 2007). This way, we make a priority of keeping an eye on sustainable lifestyles and eco-tourism, using modern technology. Prepared by: Ramaz Gokhelashvili Volume 1. Preparation and approval of management in special areas of biodiversity guideline. The vegetation of the area include beech, oak, alder, elm, sparrow and sword, to name a few. Read more. In ancient times, Greeks and Persians used to call the Persian Sea "Hyrcanian Ocean", which was later given its name to the forest. 1997. Upper mountain-subalpine elevations are occupied by steppes and xeric dwarf semi-shrubs (Prilipko, 1970)and oriental oak (Quercus macranthera) which is also characteristic for the Elburz Mountains. 62 misty moor dr, Richmond hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C6R1, No. State of the Environment Report. A peculiar, semi-subtropical climate with prolonged summer draughts and heavy precipitation in other seasons of the year is typical for this region. The European Union (EU) provided EUR 10 million to support the restoration of the transboundary Hamoun wetlands at the Iran-Afghanistan border. https://kayhanlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Hirkani01.mp4, https://kayhanlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/hirkani-02.mp4, https://kayhanlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/.mp4. Besides its flora, the Hyrcanian forest is also home to many animal species, some of them are endangered species and some, unfortunately, has gone extinct during recent century like the Hyrcanian tiger which owned the place of the third biggest tiger subspecies of the world. As a touristic natural site, Hyrcanian Forests attract tourists and travelers from inside and outside the country every year due to the pleasant weather, dazzling scenery and a perfect recreational environment, though it could be freezing during the cold seasons in Iran. 32.7 percent of volume of Hyrcanian forest is of Oriental Beech. Introduce a novel multiple-use forest managements system. Visit Iran and taste real lives and traditions, and at the same time, have a positive impact on nature and society during your journey. The Carbon Sequestration Project (CSP) aims to sequester atmospheric carbon in arid and semi-arid areas of Iran and improve the socio-economic status of local com 2022 United Nations Development Programme, Conserve biodiversity as well as integrity and sustainability of ecosystem services in key landscapes; and. Several protected areas such as the Gizil-Agach strict nature reserve, the Zuvand conservation area and Girkan strict nature reserve have been set up to protect threatened flora and fauna. Creating local funds (7 funds/179 people). Conflict resolution and facilitation for afforestation in Chelchai pilot site (300 HA). Wildlife conservationists have so far recorded 180 species of birds and 58 mammal species, including the Persian leopard, in the Hyrcanian forests. A main feature of the region is the lack ofconifers; only relics of coniferous species are present, which include European yew, Junipers, Mediterranean Cypress and Chinese Arborvitae. Dating back to the third geological period, Hyrcanian forests are the world's one of the most ancient forest vegetations. Hyrcanian mixed forests. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. These forests are included in Iran's five vegetation areas which stretch 80 km through northwest to northeast Iran covering three provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan. Click and Order: A Hundred Sweet Promises. 1990; Gasanov, 1990). No part of the contents may be republished or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written permission and referring to TasteIran. Participatory afforestation in Gilan and Mazandaran provinces (10HA). Reviewed by: Nugzar Zazanashvili It represents important biodiversity and landscape values that provide multiple environmental, social and economic benefits to the Iranian people. Hyrcanian forests are relicts from the Tertiary. The forest is in the ancient Hyrcanian region, which includes modern-day Gorgan, the capital of the northeastern province of Golestan. These are replaced by oriental beech forests (Fagus orientalis) in the middle mountains. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. State Committee for the Environment, and UNDP, Baku. The Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) is now extinct. Also, there are four main roads from Tehran to these forests and it is simple to get there either by car or the bus. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Caspian mixed forests were inscribed to UNESCO World Heritage list in 2019. The natural forest vegetation is temperatedeciduousbroadleaved forest. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Tea, vegetables, subtropical fruit, and vine production are main agricultural activities (Azerbaijan 1997). Also, 4 hectares and 6,000 square meters of forest areas were, respectively, burned in Rezvanshahr and Astara counties.. Almost 44 percent of vascular plants known in Iran grow in the Hyrcanian forests, which only cover 7 percent of the country. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Europeans in centuries past who visited Gorgan called it Hyrcanian, which at one point included parts of the Semnan and Mazandaran provinces and the surrounding areas. Other species, such as little bustard (Otis tetrax), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), and squacco heron (Ardeola ralloides) use it as breeding grounds. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. There is a strong correspondence to the Hyrcanian forests in Davis et al. It is also a major era for conservation in the region and the concept of sustainable forests. Late spring and early summer seem to be the best seasons to travel to Hyrcanian Forests as the weather is fresh and the wonderful scenery catches your eyes and boosts your soul. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. Meanwhile only in Gilan province, for instance, there are two main groups of Gilak and Galesh people. It covers parts of five provinces of Iran from east to west. Preparation and approval of integrated management plans for all project pilot sites. Centres of plant diversity: A guide and strategy for their conservation. The forest is named after the ancient region of Hyrcania. Cultivating medicinal plants and producing secondary products: Establishment of model gardens (2 HA /130 people), Cultivation of Saffron, Borage, etc in 9 villages (130 people), IPM Rice cultivation with 9 households at 6.1 HA (30 people). Formation and registration of 5 cooperatives in four pilot sites with 277 people. In Iran, this ecoregion includes the coast along the Caspian Sea and the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains. More Photos. Red deer protection in Baliran pilot site (15,000HA). Although authorities have yet to determine the exact cause of these fires, some have attributed them to human activities. In addition, the ironwoods yellow leaves turn a faint lilac in the fall. The Hyrcanian forests are temperate deciduous forests spread at the northern belt of the Alborz Mountains who possesses Damavand, the highest mountain peak of the Middle East with 5610 m altitude. These cookies do not store any personal information. Millington S., and R. Gokhelashvili. The south of this era is covered by the Alborz Mountains with up to 4000 m peaks that Arash the archer became the national hero at its summit. This ecoregion covers the Lenkoran lowland and Talysh mountains of southeast Azerbaijan and adjoining territories of northwest Iran along the Caspian shoreline. Empowering and Capacity Building for Local Communities and NGOs. It is thus considered the mother of all European forestsand is one of the most ancient forest vegetations in the world. Increasing public awareness about ecosystem services and biodiversity values in Hyrcanian Forests. This ecoregion includes the south Caspian coastal plain and northern slopes of the Elburz mountains at lower altitudes. This is why they have been considered as the Mother to North American and European forests being separated after the Ice Age. Although they cover only 7% of the country, they provide 44% of the vascular plants of the land. Conducting advisory workshops with local communities and FRWO'S experts to consolidate and agree on the rights, responsibilities and benefits of community-based forestry in projects selected pilot sites. There have been two wildfires that have threatened a large area of the Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests in recent months. The valuable ecosystem and natural resources have caused in creating mankind communities with distinct dialects and cultural lifestyles. Hyrcanian forests are relicts from the Tertiary. In July 2017, UNESCO added the Lut Desert (Dasht-e Lut), a vast salt desert in the southeastern provinces of Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan, to its list. A day earlier, the managing director of Gilan Provinces Forest Range and Watershed Management Organization, Mohsen Yousefpour, told the Tasnim news agency that wildfires initially affected 41 hectares of forest but spread quickly to an area of 130 hectares in eight counties of Talesh, Siahkal, Rezvanshahr, Masal, Astara, Fuman, Rasht and Rudbar. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Do not forget the sleeping bag, some tasty snacks, water, sleeping bag, seasonal clothing, and the camera to capture memorable moments. This ecoregion is an important resting area for birds migrating betweenRussiaandAfrica and is thus a key habitat for many bird species. The forests are the second natural reserve in Iran to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, many titles are attributed to the Hyrcanian Forests, the most famous of which are Living Fossils, Natural Museum, The Center of the World, and Survivor of the Ice Age; all indicate the longevity of these forests. Persian Ironwood is endemic to the Talysh Mountains and northern Iran and nearly pure stands of the tree can be particularly dramatic, with lichen-covered branches twisting together and only dead leaves in the deep shade of the forest floor. Part of the Iranian-Turanian biogeographic subregion, this area represents the Hyrcanian refuge of Tertiary flora representatives. To get to these forests, you need a convenient, portable backpack for hiking in the woods. Waste Management in four pilot sites (12 villages). Since early February, warm winds have fueled at least 62 wildfires that have burned 130 hectares of the Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the northern province of Gilan, according to Colonel Mohammad Ghorbani-Lord, the head of the nature reserve protection unit of the local Forest Range and Watershed Management Organization. It was even home to one of the ancestors of our species, the Neanderthals, who left signs of their presence over the walls of the forest's caves. The distinctive forests of this region include many range-restricted species as Quercus castaneifolia, Zelkova carpinifolia, Parrotia persica, Albizzia julibrissin, Buxus hyrcana, Dana racemosa, etc. Project objectives were to put in place a collaborative governance system and know-how for managing a mosaic of land uses in the Caspian Hyrcanian Forest that provides habitat integrity and helps maintain landscape level ecosystem functions and resilience. Some examples are the graylag goose (Anser anser), white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons), Little bustard (Otis tetrax), glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), Pelecanidae, buff-backed heron ( Bubulcus ibis = Ardeola ibis), squacco heron (Ardeola ralloides), greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala), and Caspian snowcock ( Tetraogallus caspius). Camping overnight might not be much safe in the forest, therefore you should watch out for the animals. 78, 16th Azar st., Keshavarz Blvd, Tehran, Caspian Hyrcanian Forests, the Green Legacy of Iran. All rights reserved. Cutting down saplings and other human activities pose a real threat tonature reserves., We must draft specific plans for protecting the Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests, Mr. Pourmoghadam said. Irans Hyrcanian Forests Inscribed on UNESCOs World Heritage List. Alpine meadows occur at the highest elevations. Involving local communities in conflict resolution, local festivals, support for waste management schemes in villages, training for forest rangers. (1994). The Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forest Ecoregion is listed by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as a Global 200 Ecoregions. It is an invaluable treasure for the world because it holds living trees and species of plants that can only be found as fossils in the rest of the world. Formation and empowerment of livelihoods groups (100 people). Copyright 2001- 2017 All Right Reserved. Being as old as dinosaurs, scientific research have demonstrated that these forests date back to the third geological period; so they are virtually 40 million year old. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Broadleaf deciduous forest in Gln Province, Iran Photo by Ardalan Daryaei. The most important protected protected areas areas in Azarbaijan part of this ecoregion are: the Gizil-Agach strict nature reserve ( 88,400 ha wetlands and marine area, designated to protect waterfowl), the Zuvand conservation area (15,000 ha, mountain meadows and forests, designated to protect game birds, bear, leopard, and rare reptiles), and the Girkan strict nature reserve (3,000 ha, humid thermophilous Hyrcanian forests, designated to protect the unique plant communities rich in relic and endemic species) (Vinogradov et al. References As a testimony of an ancient time and ice age, while all the forests of Europe were destroyed by the ice during the fourth ice age, the Hyrcanian Forest survived, thanks to the Caspian Sea who preventedthe intense cold to pass over the lake and destroy forests. Colonel Ghorbani-Lord made the comments in an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) earlier this month. Habitat destruction for agriculture use is the main threat to the ecoregion. Opiliones Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Moreover, the third Persian King of the Achaemenid Empire, Darius the Great, mentioned the name of Hyrcania in theBisotun inscription as one of Iran's 30 satraps (a provincial governor in the ancient Persian empire) in some time around 400 BC. Zapovedniks of the Caucasus. The forests cover an area of approximately 1.8 million hectares in Northern Iran. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. A total of 7.3 million people live in the Caspian Hyrcanian Landscape, has a population density of 126 people per km2, which is 2.7 times greater than for the country as a whole. Report to USAID. Cloud forest is a part of Caspian Hyrcanian Forests attracting tourists. Development of handicrafts production (140 people). Fire has burned 30 hectares of forest in Rudbar Country, which is the hardest-hit county so far., Close to 5,000 planted saplings, 200 sick trees and another 1,000 spread throughout the forest area in the county have been destroyed, Ghorbani-Lord noted. The natural landscape has been considerably altered by intensive agriculture development. The main threats to this ecoregion are agriculture, unsustainable forestry practices, and poaching. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has inscribed Hyrcanian forests as a Global 200 Ecoregion and more than 340 species of birds who seek refuge here during their annual migration between Russia and Africa made these forests to be listed as an important Bird Area by BirdLife International (IBA).