56
The Cost of Environmental Degradation
particular, lower the production capacity” (FAO 1995). Accordingly, estimates of deforestation do not reflect degradation.
Deforestation Deforestation in the Islamic Republic of Iran is caused mainly by forest conversion to agricultural and other land uses as well as by clear-cutting for timber and firewood (Islamic Republic of Iran 2001). Although it is commonly agreed that deforestation has been extensive, there is no consensus on the extent of annual deforestation in the country. Different sources report different figures on the issue, as the following examples indicate: • Amirnejad and others (2006) report an annually deforested area of some 200,000 hectares and quote a deforestation rate of 2.3 percent in the Caspian forests and 1.1 percent in the other forest types.3 • FRWO indicates that total forest area diminished from 19.5 million hectares to 12.4 million hectares between 1944 and 2000, corresponding to an annual loss of about 125,000 hectares, or 0.8 percent.4 • The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports no annual forest change between 1990 and 2000, which is explained qualitatively by an increase in plantation areas combined with a low deforestation rate of natural forests (FAO 2007). The analysis in this chapter assumes conservatively that the annually deforested area is about 125,000 hectares. This estimate should be regarded with some caution, however, because the annual deforestation rate can vary considerably over a long period. As such, the average rate calculated over a 57-year period does not necessarily reflect the deforestation rate in the most recent years. Other deforestation figures have been reported in relation to the various forest regions. For instance, Caspian forests have shrunk from 3.4 million hectares to 1.9 million hectares over the past 22 years, an average of 45,000 hectares per year (CEP 2001b). In addition, the average annual deforestation rate in Zagros forests appears to be twice that of Irano-Touranian forests (NBSAP 2000).5 This is equivalent to about 54,000 hectares in Zagros forests and 27,000 hectares in Irano-Touranian forests. Table 4.1 summarizes the main characteristics of the five forest regions in the Islamic Republic of Iran.