Ali Bagheri, in an interview with Mehrnews, pointed to the continued protective measures to safeguard national areas, and said that, in implementing the clause under Article 55 of the Law on the Protection and Utilization of Forests and Rangelands, operations to remove encroachments and restore the area to its former condition—covering 1,500 square meters of national land used for livestock settlements in Anarjar village, Nur County—were successfully carried out.
He added that the operation was conducted with the presence of protective forces of the Natural Resources unit in Sialakti, in cooperation with the Forest Development Protection Company in the North as the project executor, and that the encroached land was returned to the public treasury.
The Director General of Natural Resources and Watershed Management of Mazandaran-Sari emphasized that protecting national lands is among the top priorities of this department, and stated that any illegal encroachment, land-use change, or intrusion into natural resource areas will be met with legal follow-up and lawful برخورد.
Bagheri also reported the arrest of a professional timber smuggler in Qaimshahr County and said that the individual, who had a record of illegal logging of forest trees, was detained during a surprise operation at 3 a.m. on 14 Mordad, while converting felled trees in the forest area of Porčinək village, following the monitoring of information and on-site surveillance by protective forces.
He continued that the operation was carried out in cooperation with the chief forester of Béshesar and the protective forces of the Paper and Wood Industries Company, and after coordination with the public prosecutor of Qaimshahr County, the suspect’s vehicle and the consignment of smuggled timber were confiscated and transferred to the Natural Resources Administration for further legal procedures.
The Director General of Natural Resources and Watershed Management of Mazandaran-Sari further noted that the Natural Resources Protective Unit, using ongoing patrols, field monitoring, and public participation, will seriously pursue efforts to combat timber smuggling and encroachment on national lands, and will not allow profiteers to harm the province’s natural assets.
