Deforestation and Forest Degradation: The Case of the Islamic Republic of Iran
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In 2002, the forests’ contribution to the national economy (considering only wood products) was estimated at 1.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) (SCI 2004), compared with agriculture’s contribution of 15 percent (World Bank 2004). Such a difference is not surprising, however, considering that the gap is similar in other Middle Eastern and North African countries.2 However, wood represents only a small proportion of forests’ total value. A study valuing forest benefits in 18 Mediterranean countries found that wood accounts for less than 15 percent of the total forest value in most eastern Mediterranean countries of the Middle East and about 35 percent of the total forest value in the northern Mediterranean (Croitoru and Merlo 2005; Croitoru 2007a, 2008). Forest policy in the Islamic Republic of Iran aims at forest conservation through management, afforestation, and community forestry. During the past decades, the state has given considerable attention to implementing afforestation, silviculture, road construction, and wood transport projects. However, forest policy has largely failed to conserve the country’s forests. Forest clearing for agriculture, firewood, and charcoal contributed to an estimated reduction of forest area from 19.5 million hectares to 12.4 million hectares during the past 57 years, based on FRWO data. In addition, overgrazing and overhunting are often blamed for the decreasing quality of some forests, such as in the Zagros and Kuhrud-Kohbanan mountains (WWF 2007a, 2007b). Overall, the reduction of forest size and quality are important threats to environmental sustainability and the welfare of the communities living in or near forests.
Deforestation and Forest Degradation The literature uses the terms “deforestation” and “forest degradation” in varying ways. The term “deforestation” has been used to describe three conditions: the complete loss of forest cover; the reduction of tree crown cover below a given proportion of land cover; and the loss of primary forest alone (Pagiola 2000). “Deforestation” often describes the permanent (long-term) loss of forests, but sometimes it includes temporary loss as well. The term “forest degradation” has also been defined in several ways, generally referring to reductions in forests’ productive capacity (Watson and others 2000). In this chapter, “deforestation” refers to a complete and long-term loss of forest cover. “Forest degradation” is defined as “changes within the forest class that negatively affect the stand or site and, in