Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Protected area / relocation · Iran · 2005–2026

Zagros oak forests: the UNDP/GEF Central Zagros project, its evaluation and the fires of 2024–2026

Nature's voice · report
My Zagros oak woodlands cover almost six million hectares, about 40% of Iran's forest area.
Did nature suffer? Yes. Harm is on record.
Recorded
  • About 21,000 hectares of my forest burned in the Iranian year from March 2021 and about 27,000 hectares in the year from March 2024, as reported in July 2026. Iran International
  • More than 13,000 fire events occurred in my southern Zagros from 2000 to 2023, according to a study cited in July 2026. Iran International
  • My Khaeez protected area, established in 1998 and covering more than 33,000 hectares, burned in July 2024. Iran International
  • A decade-long project in my Central Zagros found no indications of impact on the biodiversity indicators in its project document, according to its 2016 terminal evaluation. UNDP/GEF (Navajas and Farahani Rad)
People
  • 27 people died.
    Died fighting Zagros fires since 2020, most untrained and without protective clothing (Iranian media, as reported).
What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 1 insufficient · 1 self-reported only · 1 not measured · 1 unclear See the gaps

A UNDP/GEF biodiversity project in Iran's Central Zagros ran from 2005 to 2016 with US$3.69 million of GEF funds; its terminal evaluation found that the goal and objective were not achieved. Fires in the Zagros oak forests continued, with Iran International reporting a fall in the forest organisation's dollar budget between 2021 and 2026.

US$3,687,803GEF funds allocated to the Central Zagros project, 2006–2016
97% of the planned US$3.8 million. The December 2016 terminal evaluation found “the project goal and objective were not achieved”.

Status As of July 2026: Zagros fires were reported in Khayiz, Mongasht, Lorestan, Fars and Kordestan; the 2016 terminal evaluation of the Central Zagros project remains the project's last evaluation on record.

What?
A UNDP/GEF biodiversity project in the Central Zagros spent US$3.69 million of GEF funds and was evaluated in 2016 as not achieving its goal, while fires continued to burn the Zagros oak forests. UNDP/GEF (Navajas and Farahani Rad)
Where?
Zagros range, western and south-western Iran; the Central Zagros project provinces were Isfahan, Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad; the Khayiz/Khaeez protected area is near Behbahan. UNDP/GEF (Navajas and Farahani Rad)
When?
Project from 28 June 2005 to September/October 2016; terminal evaluation in December 2016; Khaeez fire in July 2024; Zagros fires in July 2026. UNDP/GEF (Navajas and Farahani Rad)
Who?
Gained
Lost
  • Firefighters and a local resident — 27 people died fighting Zagros fires since 2020 (Iranian media, as reported); a local resident died in the Khayiz fire in July 2026 Iran International
Harmed
  • Zagros oak forests — About 27,000 ha burned in the year from March 2024; more than 13,000 fire events in the southern Zagros 2000–2023 Iran International
Why?
The terminal evaluation attributes the shortfall to a ten-year implementation, twice the time initially allocated, and to financial reporting that was not regular until 2014; for the fires, an activist cited a lack of planning and a professor a lack of new equipment. UNDP/GEF (Navajas and Farahani Rad)
How?
GEF, government and NGO funds financed pilot areas and green grants; the forest organisation's dollar budget fell between 2021 and 2026 as Iran International reported. Iran International
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

The UNDP/GEF project “Conservation of Biodiversity in the Central Zagros Landscape Conservation Zone” (PIMS 2278, GEF ID 1322) ran from 28 June 2005 to September or October 2016 in Isfahan, Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, with pilot areas including Bazoft and Dena. Its terminal evaluation, by Navajas and Farahani Rad in December 2016, stated: “The project goal and objective were not achieved, and there are no indications of impact on the biodiversity indicators”. It took ten years, twice the time initially allocated. The GEF budget was planned at 3,800,000 and 3,687,803 (97%) was allocated; the national budget was planned at 5,190,000 and 13,193,669 (254%) was allocated; actual co-financing totalled 15,624,649 against 5,730,000 planned. The evaluators wrote that until 2014 financial reports were not produced on a regular basis and planned expenditures were not based on realistic projections. Under its green grants, income from handicrafts was used to plant thousands of oak seedlings.

Zagros oak woodlands cover almost six million hectares, about 40% of Iran's forest area, according to Iran International in July 2026. The Khaeez protected area, established in 1998 and covering more than 33,000 hectares, burned in July 2024; the Kohgiluyeh district governor, Hamzeh Mohaqeqzadeh, said large areas of farms, grasslands and plant life were consumed. An activist quoted by Tasnim, Mohammad Yazdanpour, alleged that a Zagros fire of 24 June 2024 was set to convert forest into vineyards and fig orchards. The activist Azam Bahrami said there was “no proper planning” in Iran to deal with such fires and called a disaster budget of 6,000–7,000 billion rials (“approximately 10 to 11.5 million USD”) insufficient.

In July 2026 fires broke out in Khayiz (Badil Mountain), Mongasht, Lorestan, Fars and Kordestan, and a local resident died in the Khayiz fire. Iran International reported that burned forest was about 21,000 hectares in the Iranian year from March 2021 and about 27,000 hectares in the year from March 2024, and, citing Iranian media, about 46,000 hectares of national land, forests and rangelands from more than 2,300 fires by November 2025. It reported that the dollar value of the budget of NRWMO, the national forest and rangeland organisation, fell from about $94 million in the year from March 2021 to about $41 million in the year from March 2026, more than 60% below the year from March 2016, on the newspaper's own conversion at market rates. It also cited Iranian media that 27 people had died fighting Zagros fires since 2020, most untrained and without protective clothing.

  1. 2005UNDP/GEF Central Zagros project starts (28 Jun)
  2. 2016Project ends (Sep/Oct); terminal evaluation (December) finds the goal and objective not achieved
  3. 2024Khaeez protected area burns (July)
  4. 2025More than 2,300 fires and about 46,000 ha burned nationally by November, per Iranian media as reported
  5. 2026Fires in Khayiz, Mongasht and other Zagros areas; a local resident dies (July)

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“The project goal and objective were not achieved, and there are no indications of impact on the biodiversity indicators”

“There is no proper planning in place in Iran to deal with such fires.”

“One of the reasons for the prolonged firefighting efforts in forests is the lack of new equipment.”

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • Income from handicrafts under the project's green grants was used to plant thousands of oak tree seedlings.
    Terminal evaluation · UNDP/GEF (Navajas and Farahani Rad)
  • A Zagros fire was set to convert forest into vineyards and fig orchards (allegation).
    Mohammad Yazdanpour, activist quoted by Tasnim · Iran International

Recorded

  • The terminal evaluation found the project goal and objective were not achieved and no indications of impact on the biodiversity indicators in the project document.
    UNDP/GEF (Navajas and Farahani Rad)
  • GEF funds allocated were 97% of plan; national budget allocated was 254% of plan.
    UNDP/GEF (Navajas and Farahani Rad)
  • Burned forest was about 21,000 ha in the Iranian year from March 2021 and about 27,000 ha in the year from March 2024.
    Iran International
  • NRWMO's budget fell from about $94 million to about $41 million between the years from March 2021 and March 2026, on Iran International's conversion.
    Iran International

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
GEF funds allocated, Central Zagros project$3.69m
Planned 3.8 million; 97% allocated.

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Currency: USD · Window: 2006–2016. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

GEF funds allocated
US$3,687,803
97% of the US$3.8 million planned, 2006–2016
Terminal evaluation, Dec 2016
Goal not achieved
No indications of impact on biodiversity indicators
Forest burned, year from March 2024
about 27,000 ha
As reported by Iran International, July 2026
Deaths fighting Zagros fires since 2020
27
Iranian media, as reported

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
No court caseDeaths reported

Court

Record

  • None on record None on record: biodiversity impact of the Central Zagros project; the evaluation states there are no indications of impact on the indicators listed in the project document.
  • Insufficient Insufficient: until 2014 the project's financial reports were not produced regularly and planned expenditures were not based on realistic projections (terminal evaluation).
  • Self-reported only Self-reported only: the national burned-area figures of 21,000, 27,000 and 46,000 hectares are Iranian media figures as reported by Iran International.
  • Not measured Not measured: a rate of oak-belt shrinkage in Iran; the July 2026 article gives none.
  • Unclear Unclear: the cause of the 24 June 2024 fire; an activist quoted by Tasnim alleged it was set to convert forest into vineyards and fig orchards.

Did the harm stop?

Fires continued: about 27,000 hectares of forest burned in the Iranian year from March 2024, and fires were reported again in July 2026, when a local resident died.

Who paid?

GEF US$3,687,803 and the Government of Iran 13,193,669 (as allocated) for the 2006–2016 project; NRWMO's dollar-equivalent budget fell from about $94 million to about $41 million between 2021 and 2026.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers✓ International bodies

Press and investigations

  2. Zagros fires, Khayiz (Saman Rahmatian)
    Iran International · 2026-07-03

International bodies

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Science and environment

Hectare (ha)
A unit of area equal to 10,000 square metres, about 2.5 acres. 100 hectares make one square kilometre.

Carbon and conservation finance

Retired credit
A credit that has been used to make a climate claim and is permanently removed from circulation in the registry.
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