Environmental research

Project location:Safaroud-Ramsar(Lat:36.907883;Long:50.679932) Project Background: The so-called Caspian broadleaf deciduous forests consist of a narrow green belt with an area of approximately 1.9 million hectares. It is estimated that it was 3.4 million hectares 45 years ago. While imposing bans on lumbering and grazing by the locals foresters, age-long lifestyles and living patterns were disrupted, and a number of forest villages were deserted. The remaining families continue to face severe economic hardship. In contrast land conversions, massive industrial Logging Plans and illegal logging have been going unnoticed. The yield of these forests has been reduced from 300 tons/ha. to 100-110 tons/hectare during the last four decades. GEF SGP projects work in 6 villages on public monitoring of Safaroud forest covered watershed south of the Caspian Sea by building the local s trust to work and engage with different stakeholders. Participatory Project Formulation project with Haamian Andisheh Sabz (in collaboration in with Damoon), lead to a garbage project and SGP engaged in a letter of understanding with the Ministry of Interior, the Iranian Municipalities and Rural Municipalities Organization. This continued presence led to a cluster of new projects engaging the locals, civil society organizations, University of Tehran and the Safaroud Cooperative in trying to slow the land conversions promoting community driven forest protection, establishing micor-credit funds for economic empowerment of the villagers through environmentally sensitive projects, alternative energies, appropriate zoning and development models as these villages are on a mountain route leading to an over populated touristic village named Javaher Deh (the Jewel Village). The Reduction of New threats to the Caspian Forests, Proposing Urban Village Model for the Over-Developing Safaroud Area is one of the Cluster Projects in Safaroud. The project activities are: Active participation of a local Coordination Committee between the Safaroud SGP Cluster projects including selected government representatives Developing a zoning plan and carrying capacity for the whole Javaher Deh Route through a landscape approach Working with local communities and the government to develop an urban village model Publishing a book on the work done and short clip Supporting two graduate level thesis work feeding into the model Active liaison between the university and the cooperative to build up their capacity Evaluating the existing ecotourism plans and the site for community ecotourism plans Active liaison with the SGP livelihood project for environmentally friendly economic activities Preparing seasonal newsletter on the progress of the collaborative work By June 2011, project activities are as follows: Project team together with villagers made comprehensive surveys to identify cultural and historical issues and recognize customs and interrelations of villages as well as socio-economic characteristics of the area through meetings and interviews with local community, individuals and local authorities. Based on information gathered through surveys and applying international standards of architecture and urban designing techniques, carrying capacity of the area was developed and three alternatives were considered to be accessed in the area. Under supervision of two Tehran University professors, alternatives were evaluated according to various indicators in order to identify the most corresponding pattern due to Safaroud unique socio-economic conditions. Consequently, primary urban village model including layout of the facilities in 6 villages was prepared as two master theses in Tehran University.

Iran