9 Million Hectares of the Country’s Rangeland to be Allocated for Medicinal Plants’ Cultivation and Development

Head of Center for Forests Outside North and the Executive Manager of Medicinal Plants Development Plan of Iran’s Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization said, “Over 9 million hectares of the country’s rangeland will be allocated for medicinal plants’ cultivation and development.

In a meeting with the managers of natural resources of the Central Province held in Arak, Fariborz Gheibi stated, “In Iran’s 5 regions naming: Aras Baran, Persian Gulf, Oman, Turani Iran and Zagros,we have over 14 million hectares with extraordinary environmental and ecological features.”

He went on to say, “Developing forests is one of the aims of the Sixth Development Plan, and we have included in our agenda  to do so in over 800 thousand hectares of the country.”

Head of Center for Forests Outside North and the Executive Manager of Medicinal Plants Development Plan of Iran’s Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization further noted, “conservation, revival and development of plants in Iran has been well regarded by Iran’s Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization and several projects have been given to this organization from Iran’s Sixth Development Plan.”

Gheibi said, “There are over 8000 plant species in Iran, which represents the wide variety of these species in this country, 2300 of which are medicinal plant species. This shows a high capacity for these species that can be used to boost employment as well as investment.”   

He added, “We can refer to the cultivation and development of medicinal plants in an area of 9 million 600 thousand hectares of the country’s rangeland as one of the organization’s most important plans of this year.”

Head of Center for Forests Outside North and the Executive Manager of Medicinal Plants Development Plan of Iran’s Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization said, “In Iran’s 6th Development Plan, in order to prevent deforestation, it was planned to tree farm in over 70 thousand hectares of land, based on the plans of Forest Organization and with the assistance of the people, since providing wood is considered one of the main necessities of the country.