Paygasson a dry natural environment!

The image above show what the Paygasson valley looked like thirty years ago. Along the valley there were tall maple trees and many wild barberry plants with great variety of vegetation on the side of a beautiful spiral stream.

A fresh, nutrient-rich spring water wells up from the ground high up in the valley. the water flows from the source in a long and spiral stream down to the valley in a pond that created an important habitat for maple trees and barberry plants not least for many species that like these conditions as shepherds and wild birds (Mount Quebec). This tarn is completely dehydrated today due to human factor-lack of knowledge, that one simply ignored the habitat in the valley and do not think about the consequences. An invaluable natural environment has disappeared, which would benefit humans, birds and other herbivores. The old, tall maple trees are now sawn to the bottom. Barberry plants have been burned down by human carelessness and irresponsibility and have completely disappeared. Spring water that flowed in the natural spiral stream favored berry bushes, vegetation plants and maple also wild animals.

The villagers benefited from long branches of barberry trees. They cut 80cm sparingly parts of the branches, tied them together and made a thorny brush out of it. The thorny bristles were used in the autumn to rake leaves on their farms as animal feed. The person who long ago leased the valley put water pipes in the ground from the water source far up in the valley, all the way down where the border goes to the flood area where the river disaster took place in 1956 (point E), to plant new trees in the flood bank. All this management at the expense of the valley's invaluable and exceptional natural area. The question is to what use?

Paygasson's image above is from year 2004, unfortunately we see a frighteningly dry and desert-like valley. A result of ignorance and greed that destroyed the environment for wildlife, birds like Quebec Mountain (Perdicinae) and access to wild berries that are part of traditional Persian cooking.

Here on the Paygasson valley, barberry trees grew along the entire valley. Because the area is difficult to access, these few trees have survived. This image is from 2004, it is unclear how the variability is now. Climate change and human impact in nature has affected these wild plants in the valley. The maple trees have completely disappeared from the Paygasson valley. The human factor is the big reason why these fine trees have been completely wiped out in the valley. Se above, the first image on this page!

In the late 1950s, many shepherds in Abyaneh were engaged in livestock breeding (sheep, lamb, goat). The whole family, from the big ones to the little ones, worked to keep the business going. When the schools began to open for the autumn term, the children left the pastures and deserts and left the rest of the shepherding work to the fathers. At the end of autumn, when it was time to pick fruits (apples, plums, pears) and harvest barley and wheat, the fathers, mothers came to the village to take care of the crops. At that time we as children told the shepherds that wolves attacked and injured the sheep. They caused great damage.

Slowly within decades wolves completely disappeared in Abyaneh and its surroundings. Parallel to the disappearance of wolves, the breeding of sheep, lambs and goats was stopped. The parents got older, their children were not willing to follow in their father's footsteps, ie it was the same hard work. The children of the shepherds turned to the larger cities for higher education. In the picture taken on March 6, 2024, we see that the wolves have returned to their former territories.

There is no static figure on how many yet. to the Land of the Eternal Geisha and claim property. If you as a tourist go next to the wheat field, fruit and gardens, you have no choice but to take it carefully. The risk is imminent that you will encounter a wolf behind the back alleys of the gardens.

Image Source: @kohanviuna, Photo, Mohamed Shabgard 6 mars 2024