What is it about?

Uniquely among the world’s temperate forests, much of the vegetation of the Caspian forests is now endangered. But while deforestation has accelerated in Iran, these processes were actually underway in the nineteenth century. This article offers a brief introduction to the history of forest exploitation and concessions during the Qajar and Pahlavi periods, addressing actions taken by the Iranian state to protect and extend forest cover, but also the deficiencies of that legislation and the reasons for its failure.

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Why is it important?

Though it is one of the most forested countries in the Middle East, Iran’s forests remain understudied. Existing scholarship mostly addresses the contemporary period; this paper extends the scope of our knowledge, offering a deeper history of forest exploitation in Iran.

Perspectives

Although urbanization was the major reason of deforestation, the extinction of some trees and plant species had started long before. This article studies this history as well as the strategies the state took to save the "green gold." It also elaborates on the reasons the state did not completely succeed.

Saghar Sadeghian
Willamette University

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This page is a summary of: The Caspian Forests of Northern Iran during the Qajar and Pahlavi Periods: Deforestation, Regulation, and Reforestation, Iranian Studies, November 2016, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/00210862.2016.1241618.
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