Criminological Analysis of Deforestation and Seizure of Natural Resources with a Preventive approach (Case study: Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province)

Violation of natural resources is a general concept that leads to irreparable damage every year. The aim of this study was to identify the most important causes and factors of crimes against forest and aggressive seizure of natural resources and change their use in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces and how to criminalize deforestation and seizure of natural resources in Iranian criminal law.

The necessary resources for the present study were collected by referring to library resources and interviewing natural resources experts and judges of the judiciary. The required information was collected in the form of files from books, specialized journals, indexes of journals and scientific-specialized articles. Interviews with experts, officers of the Conservation Unit and legal experts of the General Department of Natural Resources and Watershed Management of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Provinces and judges of the Court of First Instance and Appeal, lawyers and official experts of the province were among the other elements of data collection.

It seems that cultural and economic poverty, low punishment of criminals, population growth, lack of agricultural land, poor management and lack of specialized and committed forces in natural resources departments, as well as inadequate facilities and budget of natural resources departments against the extent of natural resources , are among the most important factors contributing to the destruction of natural resources in the province, which must be eliminated to prevent this destruction and occupation.

Informing and cultivating information about the importance of forests and natural resources, updating and integrating laws related to natural resources and forests, increasing the punishment for these crimes, removing the management of natural resources departments from agricultural jihad and making it independent in terms of administrative structure and further monitoring of government performance is one of the results of the present study.