Environmental policy and administrative management

Project location:Behshahr, Mazandaran(Lat/Long:36.691254-53.540497) The project aims to improve the local economy and curb the degradation of natural resources by strengthening the role of the local people in conservation and revitalization of the environment through initiatives such as cultivation of pharmaceutical plants, promotion of agro-forestry programs in steep low-productive lands, a pilot project to shift from traditional to settled livestock breeding in the villages in the periphery of the forest, and producing energy from a biogas unit instead of burning wood. In line with the UNDP-GEF/Small Grants Programme Yakhkesh Biogas Project and GEF/UNDP Rural Development this project will cover 21 villages in Yakhkesh Region, in a pioneering effort to create a model for such purpose. Semi-settled husbandry units will provide manure for the biogas units being designed in the UNDP-GEF/SGP Yakhkesh Biogas Project. This projects is also associated with two national projects for forest conservation and livestock management implemented by Ranges and Forests Organization. Also, wild life conservation and environmental education two principal activities of Department of Environment receive considerable attention in the project. The final tangible outputs are: o 2 Semi-settled husbandry units o 30 ha of medicinal plantation in the low-productive and steep slopes o 25 ha of forestry plantation on steep slopes to curb soil erosion and use the natural by products of these resources o Training for the rural community on cultivation and harvest of medicinal herbs. o A booklet on the project process. o An edited 20- to 30 min documentary of the footage taken during the project (Farsi with English subtitles) o Educational brochures on 3 topics (medicinal plants, animal husbandry and sapling nurseries) to be used for training and disseminating in formation to promote policy dialogue. o Finally the project will present the lessons learned and outputs in a half day information sharing workshop in Tehran.

Iran