ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iranian authorities on Wednesday banned entry into northern Mazandaran province’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed forests as weeks-long forest fires rage and emergency teams struggle to curb the flames, amid a severe drought across the country. 

The Hyrcanian forests have been ablaze since early November, with wildfires constantly reigniting and authorities struggling to prevent their spread. Recognized by UNESCO in 2019, the ancient forests are between 25 to 50 million years old and are home to more than 3,200 plant species.   

"Given the continued severe drought, the significant decrease in precipitation, and the significant increase in fire risk, all northern forests (Mazandaran, Golestan, and Gilan), the Zagros forests, and the Arasbaran region will be closed until further notice and until effective rain falls," Majid Zakariai, a senior natural resources and water official, told the state IRNA news agency.

The Hyrcanian forests stretch for about 1,000 kilometers along Iran’s Caspian Sea coast and into neighboring Azerbaijan.

Zakariai stressed that just this year, “2,310 fires have been recorded in the country's forests,” adding that so far over 18,000 hectares have been reduced to ashes.

The flames are also raging as Iran battles its worst drought in more than six decades, with water resources in the capital Tehran nearly emptied. 

Authorities in the area have warned that there is a possibility of the fire reigniting and spreading.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Reza Aflatoni on Tuesday stressed that “severe drought and the accumulation of dry leaf litter have created conditions for repeated fires, sounding a serious alarm.”

Firefighting aircraft and helicopters have been deployed to contain the flames, and neighboring Turkey is also assisting with efforts to extinguish the flames. 

Forest fires are a recurring problem in Iran, where a lack of management and modern firefighting tools has worsened the threat.

Environmental activists and volunteers frequently step in to help contain wildfires, particularly in less-developed areas inhabited by minority communities. 

In July, three volunteers and environmental activists were killed and several others injured while trying to extinguish a wildfire in a popular natural park in western Iran’s Kurdistan province.