Shafaq News- Ilam

Once-rich pasturelands in Iran’s Ilam province are rapidly turning into desert, with more than 420,000 hectares degraded under the pressure of drought, climate change, and overgrazing, Iranian officials said on Sunday.

Citing officials from Ilam’s Natural Resources and Watershed Management Directorate, Mehr News reported that the area’s grazing ecosystems, long regarded among Iran’s most fertile, are facing mounting environmental strain as millions of livestock migrate annually from neighboring provinces during the cold season.

Yasem Khanmohammadian, director general of Ilam’s Natural Resources and Watershed Management Directorate, said the province has become a major livestock hub for the neighboring provinces of Kermanshah, Hamadan, and Lorestan, with the seasonal influx of millions of animals placing “very heavy pressure.” He called for shifting from a “traditional livestock-based” approach toward ecosystem-oriented management, warning that uncontrolled grazing and unsustainable exploitation have accelerated vegetation loss and weakened the ecological capacity.

Ali Mirzaei, head of Ilam’s Rangeland Department, said livestock pressure in some areas has reached four to five times the carrying capacity of the land, contributing to rapid desertification. He noted that authorities are implementing 30-year rangeland management contracts that regulate grazing periods and livestock numbers, but violations continue to undermine restoration efforts.

The report also highlighted the economic role of Ilam’s nomadic communities, which manage a large share of the province’s livestock production and contribute significantly to local food supply and border-area stability.

Experts warned that continued degradation threatens biodiversity, agriculture, and local livelihoods, calling for stricter grazing controls, restoration programs, and broader public awareness campaigns to preserve the province’s natural resources.