Shafaq News – Kermanshah

Forest rangers in Iran’s Kermanshah province are battling to safeguard the Zagros oak forests with thin crews and outdated equipment, leaving one of the Middle East’s richest ecosystems vulnerable to wildfires, poaching, and illegal logging.

Kermanshah, a Kurdish-majority region along the Zagros mountain range, is renowned for its oak woodlands, biodiversity, and cultural heritage. The province is considered a cornerstone of ecological balance across eastern Kurdistan, yet the guardians charged with defending it face overwhelming odds.

Each ranger oversees thousands of hectares, confronting timber smugglers, land-grabbers, and fast-moving fires with little more than shovels, tree branches, and unreliable vehicles. Protective gear is scarce, state support is minimal, and initiatives such as drone monitoring or training programs remain underfunded and largely symbolic.

Ali Hassanzadeh, head of education and public awareness at Kermanshah’s Department of Natural Resources, stressed that rangers are far more than patrolmen. “They fight seasonal fires, stop illegal logging, protect rangeland, mediate disputes, and work with tribal communities,” he said, adding that advanced technologies like drones remain “experimental at best.”

A veteran ranger, speaking anonymously, described the emotional burden of the work. “The forest isn’t just where we work, it’s our home. Each oak feels like family. When flames or saws take them, it feels like losing a part of ourselves.” He recalled battling blazes with his bare hands and confronting armed smugglers alone before adding, “We keep going out of love for the Zagros.”

Environmental experts warned that protecting the Zagros ecosystem requires more than manpower or tools, calling for stronger conservation laws, legal protection for rangers, deeper community involvement, and international partnerships. Without such steps, they argued, both the forests and the guardians defending them remain at risk.