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Zagros Oak Sacred Groves (Western Iran / Kurdistan)
Zagros Mountains, Kurdistan & western provinces, Iran
Iran
Active
Regional cluster
- Location
- Zagros Mountains, Kurdistan & western provinces, Iran
- Coordinates
- ~35°N 46°E (region)
- Size
- Oak-forest grove patches within the Zagros range
- Age / Founded
- Long-standing local sacred-forest tradition
- Status
- Active
- Deity & Religion
- Local sacred/spiritual protection (Kurdish communities)
- Community & Guardians
- Kurdish rural communities
- Record type
- Regional cluster
Cultural practices & uses
Protection from grazing/cutting through spiritual reverence
Plant species
Quercus (oak)–dominated Zagros forest with saplings, litter, herbs
Biome & fauna
Semi-arid Zagros oak woodland
Threats & protection
Less disturbed than silvopasture; modeled carbon ~339 tC/ha (groves) vs ~113 tC/ha (silvopasture); a carbon-sequestration model
Source
Moradi & Shabanian (catalog #128/#185/#188); soil & chorotype studies (#168, #173)