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 initiated extensive 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 with Haamian Andisheh Sabz (in collaboration with Damoon), lead to a garbage project in the forest 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 Caspian Forest Ssafaroud Area Local Development Fund for Participatory Conservation of Forest (Local Community Project A) is one of the Safaroud cluster projects


The project outputs are:

?Attempt to reduce selected threats to the forest due to lack of access to financial resources for environmentally friendly activity

?Active participation in the Local Coordination Committee between the Safaroud SGP Cluster projects including selected government representatives

?Development of skills and knowledge of the local foresters in management of alternative crops and fruit trees

?Establishment and proper functioning of village local development fund in 7 villages

?Conducting occupational training and producing training packages

?Producing news for the seasonal newsletter

?Training and developing participatory guideline for the fund management

?Developing and printing a booklet on project learning?s and results