The roof of Iran under the feet of tourists
Damavand, as the highest mountain in the country and the Middle East, which even has a mythical place in Iranian culture, these days, with the end of the Corona pandemic and the heating up of the tourist season, it has once again become a prey to tourists who have invaded the pristine areas of this roof under the pretext of climbing. and damage
According to IRNA reporter, Mount Damavand, with a height of more than 5,600 meters, is considered one of the places for mountaineering and nature tourism among Iranians and foreign tourists. This volcano of the central Asian plateau, in addition to its location and natural characteristics and native habitat, has a cultural attraction among Iranians and benefits from the historical background in mythological narratives.
Damavand was also registered as a heritage work on the 13th of July 2007 as the first natural work of Iran in the list of national monuments of Iran, and from that year onwards, the 13th of July, which in mythological history is the day when Arash the archer climbed Damavand and shot arrows It is to determine the border of Iran and Turan, the rial is called Damavand day.
During the recent years, Damavand, which is half silent, is caught in the maze of world registration and has overcome many obstacles so far; Obstacles that each one like a mountain requires national determination to solve and has challenged many trustees, but currently not only the highest mountain range of Iran is far from the world record, but even the most basic points of protecting this record The national standard is also not observed, which has caused the concern of environmentalists and custodians.
The re-establishment of tourist tours after the control of the Corona pandemic caused Damavand to move away from the relative peace it had achieved during the Corona era and once again, with the presence of mountaineers and tourists, it was further away from the world record as a pure work.
The daily presence of travelers in the form of mountaineers and tourists to conquer this peak and take Instagram selfies without respecting its environmental rights, to desecration by driving cars on the slopes of Iran’s rooftops and imposing entertainment waste such as chips and puffs and drink bottles, is a problem that Damavand should be more concerned about the challenges of global registration.
From the off-road riding of the so-called climbers to the height of about three thousand meters of this mountain and the snack shop in the heights to the rain of garbage at the height of more than four thousand meters, all of them have brought an aura of concern for the environment lovers. So that some environmental activists consider this lack of management of tourism in Damavand as a far greater danger than the land grabbing of its slopes.
The wound of road construction is the bane of Damavand’s life
In an interview with IRNA reporter, the representative of Damavandkoh Lovers’ Association stated that after 14 years of the national registration of Damavand, all the challenges and obstacles to the internationalization of this national monument should have been removed. It was spent in Daman Damavand, and finally its last mine was closed in 1400, although these areas were not revived, but the biggest challenge of Damavand was solved.
Mehdi Meschi added: But now, after the mining, the illegal and impassable roads have become a big challenge for Damavand, due to which the wildlife and vegetation of the region have been endangered and extinct.
He continued: Unregulated tourism and climbing are being carried out beyond the capacity of Damavand’s fragile ecosystem, which has caused damage. Contrary to public opinion, Damavand is very fragile due to its steep slope and the presence of magma, but unfortunately, due to the lack of integrated management, this issue is not paid attention to.
This environmental activist explained: For example, all over the world, mountain climbers have their equipment controlled and carried by themselves, but in Damavand, not only is there no cleanliness, cars travel up to a height of about 3,000 meters, and after that, up to a height of 4,000 meters. A meter can be traveled by a horse and a mule, and only a thousand meters can be traveled by a mountaineer.
Lack of integrated management
In an interview with IRNA’s reporter, the head of the environment of Amel city considered the lack of integrated management as the main problem of proper protection of this natural work and said: unfortunately, all the bodies and institutions in charge are completely biased and currently the tourism department , natural resources, mountaineering federation and even local communities and the municipality of Reine, each of them has a profit perspective.
Vahid Rezaiyan stated that only from the height of 4,200 meters to the top of the region is under environmental protection, he added: Most of the problems are related to the height of 2,000 meters and above, which despite the repeated suggestions of the organization as sources of protection has not been announced so that this organization can assume its responsibility in an integrated manner.
Emphasizing that the number of tourists is not consistent with the region’s ecosystem, he continued: We are not against the presence of tourists and mountaineers, but during the holidays, the number of mountaineers reaches more than five thousand people, which is more than the capacity of the region’s ecosystem. In other countries, they are registered for climbing, and if they are qualified, they are given a permit, but unfortunately, there is no limit for climbing Damavand.
The head of environment, Amol, also mentioned the issue of human sewage and explained: A sewage treatment system should be prepared for a population of over 100 people, but a large amount of human waste accumulates in the slopes of Damavand, which flows down the slope with the least amount of rain. And it even penetrates into the underground water.
He said: In addition to this, a large amount of garbage is accumulated at an altitude of 4,300 meters, that is, near the third shelter, which has been converted into a residence, and unfortunately, goats feed on garbage and waste.
Destruction of Damavand under the pretext of job creation
The head of environment, Amol, stated that some people confused Damavand with a normal tourist place and said: selling food in shelters and turning the shelter into a supermarket, as well as renting horses and mules to carry the equipment of mountaineers, shows that a correct understanding of This national natural effect does not exist.
He declared the unnecessary road construction as one of the problems and causes of the destruction of Damavand and said: Unfortunately, cars travel from the main road to a part of the road and carry equipment related to mountaineers up to the height of 4,300 meters of the peak. A horse and a mule carry these things, while a real mountaineer goes climbing with a backpack on his shoulder and does not need to go through and carry things with a horse and a mule.
Emphasizing that under the pretext of creating jobs for the local communities, we are witnessing the destruction of the region’s ecosystem, he said: “The natives of the region receive money for carrying things with mules, while the passage of mules and the creation of a 600-meter-long barrier cause the destruction of plant species. has been
He stated that the nature of Damavand is being destroyed and completely destroyed, and added: “Selling plastic materials and snacks in shelters has no logical justification and only causes an increase in waste production and its abandonment in nature.”
The head of Amol’s environment also pointed to the deployment of 6 shanties in Damavand and said: the mountaineering federation used concrete structures for the shanties, but it is not clear with what permission this action was taken.
The head of environment, Amol, stated that regarding Damavand, only slogans have been used and no practical action has been taken. A report has been reported to the Department of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Natural Resources and Amol Governorate to be followed up.
He added: It is surprising that the Mountaineering Federation has taken such actions to earn more money, for example, the construction of Eskimo houses that were built for rescue but are rented out, and although it was supposed to be collected, no action has been taken so far. has not taken
Rezaiyan also pointed to the garbage depot in the closed mines and said: The mines were closed in order to preserve Damavand and so that this work could be registered globally, but now it has become a place for garbage depots.
The photos and comments about Damavand show that this national monument currently has many untraveled ways to be registered in the world, and the main way is perhaps the integrated and coherent management with planning to be able to remove this white demon from the gate. Pollutions and human disturbance to save and open its 14-year knot to register globalization.