South-South cooperation between Iran and China enhances dryland forest rehabilitation

25/10/2023

The Islamic Republic of Iran's National Resource and Watershed Organization (NRWO) has just concluded a dynamic week-long study tour to China, returning with invaluable insights and a fervent commitment to foster South-South knowledge exchange and collaboration in the sphere of forest and grassland rehabilitation.

The tour, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-led Rehabilitation of Forest Landscapes and Degraded Land project, was an opportunity for Iranian delegates to share their knowledge and experiences of sustainable forest management, climate resilience and reforestation strategies in dryland ecosystems with their hosts in China.

Taking place from 15 – 21 October, the program – organized by China’s Forest and Grassland Administration– also enabled participants from Iran to actively engage in knowledge-sharing sessions with Chinese experts and practitioners, gaining first-hand exposure to innovative and sustainable dryland forest and natural resources management practices in the field. The study tour provoked discussion between the two countries’ delegates on fire management, early warning systems, water use, value chain diversification and how to refine the policy and institutional environment in dryland areas.

“Learning from each other is paramount for effective forest and grassland management,” said Fidaa F. Haddad, FAO Dryland Forestry Officer and Lead Technical Officer on the Rehabilitation of Forest Landscapes and Degraded Land project. “It is crucial to understand contextual nuances, whether social or environmental, to determine the most suitable practices for restoring dryland forest and silvopastoral systems, including the relevant technologies.”

Exploring future cooperation on revitalizing drylands

Towards the end of the tour, participants attended a Regional Workshop entitled ‘Leveraging South South and Triangular Cooperation to promote Sustainable Forestry Management in Asia and the Pacific.’ This workshop was a chance to discuss the site visits to two areas of China, Saihanba and Kubuqi, and distill the valuable insights and best practices gleaned from both countries' experiences in transforming arid production systems amidst the challenges of desertification and drought.

Furthermore, the workshop also explored the possibility of initiating a South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) framework between Iran and China, facilitated by FAO.

Rehabilitation of Forest Landscapes and Degraded Land

Despite its unique natural heritage, Iran has a low forest cover, accounting for less than 10 percent of its total land area. To preserve and protect the country’s forests, the GEF initiated the "Rehabilitation of Forest Landscapes and Degraded Land" project in 2011 to address the main challenges to dryland ecosystems and forest resources in Iran, promote Sustainable Land and Forest Management (SLFM), and build the capacity for sustainable livelihoods, food security, and the fight against desertification.

Through this project, Iran’s NRWO worked with GEF, FAO’s Committee on Forestry Working Group on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems and 14 other partners to develop an e-learning course on sustainable dryland management. Launched in March 2023 at a high-level event with H.E Mr. Abasali Nobakht, Iran's Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Head of the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, the free online course builds the competencies needed to transform the way practitioners manage dryland forests, with a focus on increasing sustainability whilst retaining the benefits of other interventions.