Soil and Water Conservation for Desertification Control in Iran - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 371

The second action relates to efforts by the government and the international donor
community, UN agencies like FAO UNDP and UNEP etc. to plan and implement
projects in the affected regions of Iran. Through efforts by the national agencies and
assistance from the donor community the following has been achieved:

• Land survey of 65 million hectares of rangelands throughout the country

• Formulation of range management plans for 20 million hectares

• Elimination of one million animal units dependent on rangelands through the

implementation of a national plan for the management of the arid and semi-arid
regions of the Country

• Preparation of large-scale maps of the arid and semi-arid areas using RS and GIS

• Preparation of a 1:250,000 scale map of vegetation cover

• Development of a meteorological and early warning system

3.2 Soil and Water Conservation Activities

UNDP and the UNHCR sponsored a large scale project in South Khorasan to
revegetate land denuded during the occupation of the area by Afghan refugees.
The project provided on the job training to the refugees and skills were learned in
plant propagation, nursery establishment and nursery practice as well as techniques
for replanting large areas. IFAD and UNHCR provided follow-up and extended the
successful outcomes derived from the earlier project. Altogether over 50,000 ha was
revegetated (Figs. 18.5 and 18.6 ).

Box 18.1: Successful Control of Dust in the Meighan Desert, Markazi
Province

Meighan Desert occupies 5,000 ha and is located about 20 km north of Arak
city. Its watershed covers more than 54,000 ha. It is the bed of an old dried up
lake and was a major source of dust. Frequent dust storms and shifting sands
were extremely damaging to cropland, and the environment and impacted
roads and residential zones. In 1991 an ambitious plan was begun to create
a green zone around the central basin covering 12,000 ha. Identification of the
critical wind erosion center was the first step. Nitraria schoberi , a pre-adapted
indigenous plant (see Fig. 18.6 ), was used to stabilize dunes and Atriplex
canescens was planted in rows to provide a wind break and “roughness
element” to reduce entrainment of dust and also provide protection that
allowed regeneration of natural vegetation from the seed bank in the soil.
The photos show details of the project site in both Farsi and in English and
the value of plantations of Atriplex canescens that can provide a windbreak
and allow regeneration of perennials from seed banks in the soil. Outside

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