The Darwin Project
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Nature Iraq has worked for three years on the mountain of Piramagroon near Sulaimani in partnership with Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and BirdLife Intentional. Our programme was diverse:
- We conducted plants and birds surveys.
- We created biodiversity and land use maps.
- We facilitated practical field training courses and an online course for developing professionals.
- We conducted educational activities with school children.
- We produced educational materials including mobile apps regarding biodiversity and conservation.
- We created two educational booklets: one on land management in Peramagroon and surrounding area called "Peramagroon, profile of a Kurdish Mountain" and the second is a teacher's toolkit on environmental activities designed specifically for primary and secondary schools.
The outcomes of the project show that Piramagroon is suitable as a formal protected area, and provide pioneering examples of good practices of conservation.
- We conducted plants and birds surveys.
- We created biodiversity and land use maps.
- We facilitated practical field training courses and an online course for developing professionals.
- We conducted educational activities with school children.
- We produced educational materials including mobile apps regarding biodiversity and conservation.
- We created two educational booklets: one on land management in Peramagroon and surrounding area called "Peramagroon, profile of a Kurdish Mountain" and the second is a teacher's toolkit on environmental activities designed specifically for primary and secondary schools.
The outcomes of the project show that Piramagroon is suitable as a formal protected area, and provide pioneering examples of good practices of conservation.
The Darwin Project was a three year conservation program, funded by the Darwin Initiative of the United Kingdom's Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs. Focusing on the mountainous region of Kurdistan, specifically the mountain Piramagroon, the project is conducted by Nature Iraq and experts from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) and BirdLife International (BirdLife).
The project has generated new data for conservation and resources for protected area management and environmental education. The team’s aim is to make significant progress in addressing the challenges of conservation resulting from nearly 30 years of scientific isolation. It helps address the vulnerability of biodiversity of Iraq due to limited capacity in dealing with threats to the environment breakdowns in traditional land management caused by years of instability followed by rapid recent development. The Darwin Project has served as a model for conservation that can be applied elsewhere in Iraq.
The Piramagroon area, a mountain massif in the Kurdistan Region, has been selected because it meets Key Biodiversity Areas criteria and is readily accessible.
The Piramagroon area, a mountain massif in the Kurdistan Region, has been selected because it meets Key Biodiversity Areas criteria and is readily accessible.
One major focus of the Darwin work was the land management surveys conducted in nine villages, which collected qualitative and quantitative information regarding land management practices, using observation and group interviews with locals as tools. The team has also conducted several educational outreach activities focused on local communities, mainly children in schools.
An online course on Biodiversity and Conservation, the first of its kind in Iraq, was launched in cooperation with the University of Sulaimani's Faculty of Agriculture to help future conservation leaders develop technical skills necessary for effective assessment and management.
An online course on Biodiversity and Conservation, the first of its kind in Iraq, was launched in cooperation with the University of Sulaimani's Faculty of Agriculture to help future conservation leaders develop technical skills necessary for effective assessment and management.
One legacy of the project is interactive identification guides to the biological diversity of Piramagroon, including photographic guides which can be downloaded to mobile phones. This technology has been recognized as a particularly appropriate, accessible and user-friendly way to disseminate information in the Middle East. This will be the first time it has been utilized for biodiversity information in Iraq.
