Several meetings have been made with public bodies (Forest Range and Watershed Management Organization-FRWO), Sari and Zirab Universities, and local NGOs.

The overall objective of the action is to improve the knowledge and capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Iran (OSC) to create and implement, jointly with local authorities, sustainable and participatory growth in the Hyrcanian Mixed Forests eco-region.

Specifically, the project will work to strengthen and better integrate CSOs, formally organized, as well as informal base local groups and networks, in decision making and provincial and local consultative structures and in public control over the use of natural resources and empower them with knowledge and resources on sustainable forestry practices to improve the livelihoods of forest inhabitants while connecting their voices and interests with those of local and regional authorities.

The geographical scope of the project is the province of Mazandaran in the coastal zone of the Caspian Sea, in the north of Iran, including two counties (Savadkooh and Savadkooh of the north).