TEHARN, 17 June 2007 (UNIC)—Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in Iran Shahid Najam announced here Sunday that FAO is ready and willing to fully collaborate with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and in particular the Forests, Rangelands and Watershed Organization in its palpable commitment and continuous endeavors to prevent deforestation and combat desertification with particular focus on mitigating the impact on poor and marginalized segments and ensure sustainable development.
Addressing the participants of a seminar marking the International Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, 17 June 2007 held at the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad, the United Nations Official said Iran has almost 65% of its landmass already in arid and semi-arid zones which are characterized by fragile eco-system and enormously stressed rangelands and pastures.
“Due to this fact, climatic disaster of drought is a recurrent phenomenon in the country which drastically impacts the rural livelihoods, agriculture production, food security, environment and natural resources,” Najam said.
He pointed out that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran took particular cognizance of the long droughts of 2000 and 2001. He added that the need for a national drought management strategy and action plan, as a fundamental means to prevent desertification, was articulated to deal with the recurrent drought situations and formulate the necessary mitigating and coping mechanisms with focus on developing the early warning capability of drought, mitigating its impacts and relieving the suffering of those made destitute by it.
“The July 2004 session of the Senior Officials Meeting on Agriculture of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) accepted the proposal of Government of Iran to establish the Regional Centre for Drought Management in the ECO Region in Tehran,” he said adding that in furtherance of these decisions and in response to the Government’s request, FAO provided technical assistance to the country through Technical Cooperation Programme project: “National Strategy and Action Plan on Drought Preparedness, Management and Mitigation in the Agriculture Sector”.

The theme of this year’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is “Desertification and Climate Change - One Global Challenge” which emphasizes that climate change and desertification are two major manifestations of the same problem.

Najam said desertification is a world-wide environmental phenomenon which causes the earth's ecosystems to deteriorate. He added that desertification affects about two-thirds of the countries of the world, and one-third of the earth's surface, on which one billion people live, namely, one-sixth of the world population which is currently over 6 billion. “The vulnerability of land to desertification is mainly due to the climate, the relief, the state of the soil and the natural vegetation, and the ways in which these resources are used,” he said adding that climate affects soil erosion and the chemical and biological deterioration of the soil which itself plays an essential role in causing vulnerability to desertification caused by human activities.