Iranian official says 90% of Zagros forest fires in Ilam are deliberate

TEHRAN, Iran — TEHRAN — About 90% of forest fires in Iran's western Ilam province are set deliberately, the head of the Ilam Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Ali Nejafi Farr, said in remarks reported by Mehr. He attributed the blazes to social disputes, local conflicts and tensions over natural resource management, adding that climate change and worsening drought have made the forests highly vulnerable. Ilam, home to more than 640,000 hectares of natural forest, holds a major share of the Zagros mountain range, which plays a critical role in Iran's water and soil resources. Nejafi Farr said the Zagros forests account for 40% to 50% of Iran's total forest area. Yasem Khanmohammadian, director general of Ilam's Natural Resources and Watershed Management office, said heavy rainfall earlier in the year had boosted vegetation, but dry grass and shrubs in early summer had heightened fire risk. She reported that coordination between protection units and local communities cut forest and rangeland fires by 81% compared with last year. Officials said drones, artificial intelligence, smoke sensors and community-based sustainable forest management plans are central to preventing future blazes. No further details on ongoing fire response operations were immediately available.