Forest fires have affected several areas in North Khorasan Province on the border with Turkmenistan.
Local Iranian officials are worried the fires could extend to mountainous border areas making difficult the operations to extinguish possible fire in future.
They consider to sign an agreement with Turkmenistan on coordinated efforts to fight forest fire.
“We request that cooperation between Iran and Turkmenistan be taken more seriously in a bid to prevent the fires from extending to the two countries’ border,” North Khorasan Department of Environment (DoE) Managing Director Asqar Motahhari told IRNA on Thursday.
The official noted that efforts already made by North Khorasan provincial officials to coordinate measures with Turkmenistan in managing habitats and biodiversity.
Gulîl-Sarany mountainous area in Shirvan County, a habitat for some of the most unique animals, is one of those areas that is prone to fires, he said.
Should fire extend to border areas, border patrol guards need to take action, according to Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization Security Department Commander Colonel Musarreza Hayati.
North Khorasan Province shares a 300-km long border with Turkmenistan, home to 100,000 people from various ethnicity such as Kurds, Tats and Turkmen.
Iran and Turkmen border patrol commanders signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) back in 2015 to train their border forces to prevent fires.
The diplomatic meeting took place in Ak-Yayla train station in Turkmenistan.
Forest fires devastated 30 hectares of forest damaging the border environment in 2016.
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