Hyrcanian Forests

Remained from Cenozoic geology and Ice Age due to the northern temperate weather in the region, Hyrcanian forests are a unique forested massif along the southern coast of Caspian Sea, related to Triassic period which was inscribed as the 2nd Iran’s natural heritage on UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Hyrcanian forests have been extended in some parts of five provinces including Semnan, Golestan, Gilan, Mazandaran and North Khorasan with 1.9 million HA area (approximate length of 800 kilometers and the width of 20-70 kilometers) from Astara in the north of Gilan province to Golidagh in the east of Golestan province.

This region includes native and ancient plants and biodiversity with the rarest species of the forest such as tree and shrub species, native types of flora and fauna like Persian Leopard, bear, wild goat, red deer, various type of birds and etc.

Hyrcanian forests are located in 15 regions including Golestan National Park, Abr Forest, Jahan-Nama Forest, Bula Forest, Alimestan forest, Vaz Forest, Kojur region of Nowshahr, Chahar bagh region of Chalus, Khoshkeh Daran forest, Gasht-e Rudkhan, Siahrudbar of Gilan, Lisar protected area with a rich plant and animal variety.