From Fields to Settlements: How Fires Are Used to Enforce Demographic Change in Al-Ahwaz

The Environmental Authority in Al-Ahwaz has revealed alarming figures regarding the scale of fires that swept across large areas of the occupied Arab state of Al-Ahwaz over the past year. These revelations come amid growing warnings linking these environmental disasters to the demographic engineering policies implemented by the Iranian occupation authorities in the region.

76 Fires in One Year  and 21 More in Just Three Months
According to the official environmental report, the year 2024 witnessed 76 recorded fire incidents, consuming approximately 1,510 hectares of land, mostly in agricultural and natural areas surrounding residential zones in Al-Ahwaz. An additional 21 fires were recorded in the first quarter of 2025 alone, destroying around 241 hectares.

Evidence suggests that many of these fires are deliberately set, especially in fields near wetlands or in areas classified as protected zones. This reinforces long-standing accusations that such disasters are being used as tools to redraw land usage in a way that facilitates Persian settlement projects in Al-Ahwaz.

A Unique Ecosystem Under Threat of Erasure
Al-Ahwaz is considered one of the richest regions in terms of biodiversity. According to official classifications, it contains four managed ecological areas, three national parks, three nature reserves, one national natural landmark, ten protected areas, six no-hunting zones, and six vital wetlands. This ecological richness makes the region a sensitive and strategic target in the environmental and political conflict with the Iranian occupation.

Is the Environment Being Weaponized for Demographic Change?
Environmental and human rights activists argue that the destruction of Al-Ahwaz’s environment is not merely a result of negligence or administrative failure. Rather, it is part of a systematic policy aimed at displacing native Ahwazis and paving the way for the resettlement of Persian settlers in new areas.

Field reports indicate that these fires are sometimes followed by suspicious land clearing and “development” operations. Burned lands are then converted into housing or industrial projects tailored for new settlers, accelerating the implementation of Persianization and demographic replacement plans.

Calls for Action
Amid this accelerating deterioration, Ahwazi activists and environmental organizations are calling for urgent action  both domestically and internationally to halt the Iranian occupation’s plans and prevent the ongoing destruction of Al-Ahwaz’s environmental wealth. They demand the formation of an independent investigation committee to probe the recurring fires, the inclusion of Ahwazi wetlands under the Ramsar Convention, and increased pressure on Tehran to respect biodiversity and protect indigenous communities.

Experts warn that if these disasters continue, Al-Ahwaz will lose one of its most important environmental and economic resources, exacerbating health and social crises related to air pollution, water shortages, and population displacement.
Data clearly shows that Al-Ahwaz’s environment is facing a double threat: ecological catastrophe from rampant fires and a demographic catastrophe from deliberate post-fire policies. In the absence of effective international oversight, these policies are transforming Al-Ahwaz from a land rich in life into a desolate zone  cleared for an unwanted settler project.