Hyrcania is the second natural heritage of Iran, which was registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List in its 43rd meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan Republic, in order to be preserved for Iranians and the whole world forever.
Since there are severe rivalries to inscribe places and monuments on the UNESCO list and some countries resort to any means to register their monuments on the list, it seems that inscription of Hyrcanian Forests on the list will help introduce the historical, natural and cultural background of the ancient forests and promote tourism industry in this region both at domestic and international level.
Hyrcania is a historical region composed of the land south-east of the Caspian Sea in modern day Iran and Turkmenistan, bound in the south by the Alborz mountain range and the Kopet Dag in the east. The forest stretches 850 km along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and covers around 7 % of the remaining Hyrcanian forests in Iran, dating back to 25 to 50 million years ago.
Vali Jahani, head of Gilan Province's Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization, told IRNA that cooperation between people and officials can help preserve the million-year-old forests, whose registration will provide Iranians and foreign tourists with benefits.
According to the provincial official, the headquarters of Hyrcanian Forests heritage plans to hold a photo exhibition concurrent with the National Natural Resources Day and the National Arbor Day.
A Gilani artist's works on sustainable fashion will be unveiled in the exhibition, Jahani said, adding that handicrafts and products of Hyrcanian Forests region will be showcased on the sidelines of the exhibition.
Fariba Babai, the chairperson of Hyrcanian World Heritage headquarters, noted that natural heritage of Hyrcanian Forests encompasses 12 sites in five provinces in Iran.
She went on to say that 300 photos have been presented by photographers from Gilan Province to the photography seminar.
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