Building peace in the minds of men and women

Dena

Dena is home to a vast range of plant species and several endangered and endemic mammal species. Oak species dominate the highlands, while pistachio and almond are common at lower elevations.

Dena is situated on the boundary of three different provinces in the west of Iran and in 2006 the number of residents was estimated as 27,197 individuals, among which 4,070 individuals live in the northern part and 23,127 in the southern part of the reserve. Dena is under the supervision of Kohkeloyeh and Boyerahmad province.

Three different zones (Core, Buffer, Transition zone) are situated at the periphery of Sisakhat (Pataveh portion), Boyerahmad (Central portion) and Semirum (Padena portion) townships. Notably the Dena Biosphere Reserve also served as one of the world's earliest cultural habitats for both plant and livestock domestication as of 10,000 years ago. Till now the vast majority of people practice a nomadic lifestyle.

The cultural diversity of the local communities, including the nomad communities are manifested by their languages, traditional production activities, including herding and hunting, food products, dresses, festivals, dances and weaving and other crafts including their knowledge about seasonal and long routes of migration for their livestock. Read more about this reserve on the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves website.