location map of the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests (in purple). Summer is a humid but low-precipitation season. In southeastern Azerbaijan the ecoregion spans through the Lankaran Lowland and the Talysh Mountains. Hyrcanian forests often have different vegetation depending on the altitude (sea level, low altitudes mountain foot, high mountains, and very high places). It was declared as a conservation area in 1957, and following multiple changes of name, it was eventually registered as one of the fifty natural biosphere reserves of the world by UNESCO in 1975 and was registered as a natural heritage of Iran in 2008. These revered predators depend on the forests native ungulates: wild pig, roe deer, red deer, and wild goat. Just reading natural beauty and its masterpieces of nature creative genius in the form of this ancient forest. meh makes me feel like someone is really proud of their own forests but compared to other parts of the world it didn't seem special at all, plus the sites listed as other unique areas aren't exactly the same league it is trying to be. I visited 2 parts of this nomination in January 2019. Where they exist, they have attracted major conservation attention, which has in some case resulted in the establishment of protected areas. The same approach will be applied to the intended serial extension. Golwerd Dam in Mazandaran province is an example, where more than thirty thousand trees were cut in the project. Image credits: (1) Courtesy of Alireza Javaheri (2) Argooya, Creative Commons. The serial World Heritage nomination of carefully selected representations of the Hyrcanian Forests located in the Islamic Republic of Iran was inscribed on the occasion of the 43rd session of World Heritage Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to criterion (ix) (Decision 43 COM 8B.4). Compared to forests in other regions of Europe and Asia, a large proportion of original habitat has persisted here. This continuous 800 km belt of deciduous trees hosts endemic species such as chestnut-leaved oak, Persian silk tree, Caspian locust, and Persian ironwood. The Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests ecoregion (Persian: ) are a zone of lush lowland and montane forests covering about 55,000 square kilometres (21,000sqmi) adjoining the shores of the Caspian Sea of Iran and part of that of Azerbaijan. The area is restricted to the border river Aras in the north and the mountain areas in the east, west and south, and is connected to Kiyamaki Protected Area, Arasbaran Biosphere reserve. I was impressed with the rock formations and the the forest looks healthy but I saw no real good place to stop and enjoy a hike, picnic or whatever. It is very good at the beginning but then becomes very moody and swampy. Heshmati, G.A., 2007. However, local conditions of aspect and edaphic factors, such as soil moisture and depth, are all of importance in determining the composition of the vegetation, which leads to the establishment of different beech subcommunities. Selected parts of the Hyrcanian Forests located in the Islamic Republic of Iran were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2019 under criterion (ix). Accordingly, the full spectrum of species depending on such characteristics is present, the extinct Caspian tiger being the only species missing in the natural mammalian species assemblage. What you could do if WHC refuses to inscribe one of your proposed sites? A main feature of the region is the lack of conifers; only relics of coniferous species are present, which include European yew (Taxus baccata), Junipers (Juniperus spp. Alpine tundra and meadows occur at the highest elevations. 2.14 Score, Includes former TWHS Golestan NP (2007-2013), Gondola lift threatens Hyrcanian forests UNESCO tag (12.11.20), The site has The area of these 40 million year old forests is 55,100 square km with 2 million hectares in Iran and 20,000 hectares in Azerbaijan. This park with an area of more than 90,000 hectares, is located on the common borderof the provincesKhorasan,SemnanandGolestan. It deserves to be emphasized that the Committee explicitly encouraged a transnational approach (see Decisions 30 COM 8B.24 and 43 COM 8B.4). The most famous of these trees are Beech, Oak, Alder, Elm, European Ash, Box-tree, etc. The flagship species of the Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests ecoregion is the Persian leopard. Located in the south of the Caspian Sea, fromMazandarantoGilan, fromGorgantoArasbaran, there areHyrcanian forests, forests that are of great value and have been registered by UNESCO. Imagine a world where nature & humanity coexist and thrive. Travel warning we entered Abr Forest from Aliabad-e Katul and wanted to cross it to Shahrud (with one tentative site and another one nearby). Once I made it to Gonbad Kavus and visited Qabus I continued driving East. Call us We saw clouds, but were lucky enough to see mountain peaks and picturesque valleys. The serial property encompasses 15 component parts representing key examples of the various stages and features of natural Hyrcanian forest ecosystems. From theHyrcaniaancient region in the Republic ofAzerbaijantoAstara, the border Iranaian city there are spectacular old forests that enjoy temperate climate of the region. The Caspian Sea coastal plains were once covered by Chestnut-leaved Oak (Quercus castaneifolia), European Box (Buxus sempervirens), Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa subsp. Categorized as Deciduous broad-leafed Trees, in total, there exist 150 species of trees and shrubs in the Caspian eco-region. Hyrcanian forests have been there from 40 million years ago. Abr Forest was my first stop and it is very tourist centric, with many guest houses and hikes around Cloud Forest. The component parts of the inscribed property are functionally linked through the shared evolutionary history of the Hyrcanian mixed forest ecoregion and there are no major barriers to the ecological connectivity in higher elevations of the Hyrcanian forest region. Solanaceae. One-eighth of the plant species, one-third of the bird species and more than fifty percent of the countrys mammal species live in the park. About 300 taxa are endemic and sub-endemic for the Hyrcanian region, and many plant species are endemic for Azerbaijan and/or Iran. One of the main causes of this destruction is the unrestrained expansion of the wood and paper industries and the changing use of these forests. They show high floristic biodiversity (3,200 vascular plants), and are home to forest birds and theiconic Persian Leopard. The serial property contains exceptional and ancient broad-leaved forests, which retreated during periods of glaciation and later expanded again under milder climatic conditions. Bioregion: South Caspian Coastal & Mountain Mixed Forests (PA28). The publication of the Tentative Lists does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the World Heritage Committee or of the World Heritage Centre or of the Secretariat of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its boundaries. The ecoregions land area is provided in units of 1,000 hectares. Donate. [5], At middle elevations between 700 and 1,500m (2,297 and 4,921ft), Oriental Beech is the dominant tree species in this cloudy zone in pure and mixed stands with other noble hardwoods such as Chestnut-leaved Oak, Caucasian Oak (Quercus macranthera), European Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), Oriental Hornbeam (C. orientalis) and Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa). While nemoral broad-leaved forests also occur in Europe, Eastern Asia and North America, they have mostly been converted to agricultural land or fundamentally altered and degraded by human activities there. N 100, 102 pp. 8 connections. Both the inscribed component parts and the ones additionally proposed through a transnational serial extension therefore represent the most intact representations of the various forest sub-types of the vast forest region. The property covers most ecological and biological features values of the Hyrcanian region, thereby displaying key environmental processes illustrating the genesis of these forests, including succession, evolution and speciation. I highly doubt this is worthy of the title world heritage. Located in the south of theCaspian Sea, these forests are shared between Iran and Azerbaijan. The existence of certain plant species dating back thousands of years, low temperatures, high forest elevation and special vegetation have made this area different from other forested eco-regions of Iran. Key information is summarized hereafter: Of the roughly 110 properties, which can be referred to as Forest World Heritage sites, temperate forests are an underrepresented category for the simple reason that those forests have disproportionately suffered from forest loss and degradation. Biodiversity Of The Hyrcanian Forests. The Hyrcanian forests have been extended in some parts of five provinces including Semnan, Golestan, Gilan, Mazandaran and North Khorasan with 1.9 million HA area (approximate length of 800 kilometers and the width of 20-70 kilometers) from Astara in the north of Gilan province to Golidagh in the east of Golestan province. Unlike most comparable temperate forests in the northern hemisphere, the selected forests show all the elements characterizing ancient natural forests with very limited human impacts. Upper mountain and subalpine zones are characterized by Caucasian Oak, Oriental Hornbeam, shrublands and steppes. Because of their location in the mountains where the mountains let the clouds get through and come into the forest through them due to the air pressure difference. Also known as the Caspian tiger, the Mazandaran tiger or the Hyrcanian tiger was actually one of the largest feline on earth. Your email address will not be published. Irans largest protected area in the ecoregion is Alborz-e-Markazi at 3,988 km2, whilst the 380 km2 Girkan National Park is the largest in Azerbaijaniv. Due to this isolation, the serial property hosts many relict, endangered, and regionally and locally endemic species of flora, contributing to the high ecological value of the property and the Hyrcanian region in general. Want to learn more about the fascinating species, diverse ecosystems, and natural wonders of the Earth? Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information. The proposal consists of several forest parks located near Caspian Sea. Hyrcanian forests of Iran so-called Northern Forests form the most dense forest area of this country. The document doesn't even describe why it is unique. TheCaucasian LeopardorPersian Leopard, is one of the biggest of the eight recognized sub species of leopard. Remained from Cenozoic geology and Ice Age due to the northern temperate weather in the region, Hyrcanian forests are a unique forested massif along the southern coast of Caspian Sea, related to Triassic period which was inscribed as the 2nd Irans natural heritage on UNESCO World Heritage List.