NATURE IRAQ
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Staff Highlights
    • Contact
    • Support us >
      • Volunteer
      • Membership
      • Career
  • What We Do
    • Current Projects >
      • Mesopotamia Revitalization Project
      • Conservation of Persian leopards in West Asia
      • Safeguarding the Persian Leopard Through the Establishment of Protected Area in Qara Dagh
      • Preservation and the Digital Documentation of the Traditional Handcrafts >
        • Photo Gallery
        • Videos
      • Wastewater Garden Project
    • Past Projects >
      • Persian Leopard Conservation >
        • Conservation and Monitoring
        • Advocacy And Stakeholder Engagement
        • Education And Public Awareness
      • Waterkeeper Law and Advocacy Program >
        • Project Photos
        • Project Videos
        • Waterkeepers Iraq >
          • Photos
        • List of Activities
      • Key Biodiversity Areas >
        • Gallery
      • New Eden Project
      • Adobe House >
        • Photos
      • Compressed Soil Brick Construction >
        • Photos
      • Darwin Project in-Situ >
        • Land Management
        • Education/Outreach
        • Online Course
        • Surveys and Fieldwork
        • Birds of Peramagroon
        • Photos
      • Marshlands Empowerment >
        • Photos
      • Sociable Lapwing Project >
        • Photos
      • The National Atlas of Marshes and Wetlands of Iraq
      • Green Festivals >
        • Photos
      • Biodiversity Conservation >
        • Wildlife Camera Trap Images
        • Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP)
      • Water Resources >
        • Mesopotamian Outreach Project >
          • The Tigris River Flotilla
          • Photos
      • Sustainable Development >
        • Eco-Camp
        • Photos
      • Capacity Building
      • Exhibitions >
        • Paris
        • UK
        • Al-Hella, Iraq
        • Basra, Iraq >
          • Basrah, 13-15 July 2008
          • Basra, 1 Jan 2009
        • Erbil, Iraq
        • Thi-Qar, Iraq
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos ( Page 1 )
    • Videos ( Page 2 )
    • News Room
    • Literature
  • Language
    • Arabic عربي
    • Kurdish كوردی
Note: All rights reserved. No part of these publications may be downloaded, reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of Nature Iraq
​Reports
1. Biodiversity Conference Report
Biodiversity Conference.pdf
File Size: 383 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

This is a report of a conference that was held in Aqaba, Amman, from 20 to 23th of Oct. 2008. During the conference, the nine members of Nature Iraq team led by Nature Iraq founder Azzam Alwash gave presentations summurizing thier works in different areas in Iraq, with a particular focus on ornithology, and exhibited a set of photos documenting life
in southern Iraq.
2. Water Buffalo in the Iraqi Marshes, Thi Qar and Missan 
Status Report on Buffalo of Thi Qar and Missan.pdf
File Size: 2461 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

In May 2006, Nature Iraq Started a project to study water buffalo in the marshes of Southren Iraq. The goals of this project were to  provide needed information regarding the status of bufflo following the reflooding the marshands, as well as gathering basic data for future plans and studies.
3. Darbandikhan Basin Project 
Darbandikhan Lake Poisoning.pdf
File Size: 579 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Preliminary Field, Lap Report and results by Korsh Ararat, Raid Abdul Mehdi, Haider Ahmed Falih, and Ali Mohammed Maher and edited by Anna Bachmann and  was done in September 2008. Darbandikhan Lake is one of the three largest lakes in the Kurdistan Region - Iraq. This lake and the surrounding areas is a biological divers area for wildlife and listed as an important Bird Area in Iraq by BirdLife International. Many people benefit from this lake and it's waters for drinking, irrigation, fishing, and as a beautiful site used by many for recreation. Also, the Darbandikan Dam is an important source of electricity. Darbandikhan Lake is currently at a high risk due to pollution by sewage and municipal wastes. It's water level threatened by current severe drought affecting the region as a whole and by work in Iran to install a dam on the Sirwan River and other dams that have been already constructed.
Lab Report.pdf
File Size: 316 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Darbandikhan Basin Project Status Report.pdf
File Size: 900 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

4. Habitat Mapping and Monitoring Project
Habitat Project.pdf
File Size: 3596 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

This report is based on a survay that was conducted in June 2008 as well as a review of a past work  with the effort and support of many people. The Habitat Project started as an idea from Nature Iraq's Italian pratners. The goal of this project was to moniter the Iraqi marshlands in a new way by applying remote sensing and satellite imaging technology. This would lessen the efforts and the needs to make monitoring and field trips except in cases where satellite images show some changes in the area. To carry out this project, the work was divided into three steps: first; discussions and planning, second ; land cover survey, and third;  description or definition of habitats.
​

5. Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) Reports
This program started in 2005 as part of a partnership with the Iraqi Ministry of Environment and international experts and support from BirdLife International, the Canada-Iraq Marshland Initiative, the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land & Sea, the Ford Foundation, UNDP, OSME, RSPB, British Birds and many others. Most of the field work ended in 2010 and a book of the findings from the program is in preparation, which lists over 80 Key Biodiversity Areas or KBAs throughout Iraq.
 
The summary of the book is provided here but for more information on the KBAs of Iraq please contact [email protected].
summary_-_july_11_-_english.pdf
File Size: 2983 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

summary_arabic.pdf
File Size: 3832 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


​6. Nature Iraq Activities Report for year 2015 
ni_activities_report_for_2015-english.pdf
File Size: 2259 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


​7. Animal and Bird Trade and Hunting in Iraq - NI
animal_and_bird_trade_and_hunting_in_iraq.pdf
File Size: 2861 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


​8. New Eden 10 Year Report 2003 - 2013
New_eden_10_year_report_2003_-_2013.pdf
File Size: 18344 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


​9. The Mosul Dam:
Turning a Potential Disaster into a Win-Win Solution
the_mosul_dam_turning_a_potential_disaster_into_a_win_solution.pdf
File Size: 223 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

​By Azzam Alwash, 
Water management issues in the Middle East will continue to be a source of tension in a region that suffers no lack of causes for conflicts. The current problems posed by the Mosul Dam may be an opportunity to show how a collaborative region-wide solution can become a first step on the road to new ways of imaginative thinking in the region.
​10. Nature Iraq Activities Report for year 2016 ​
Activities_Report_2016_English.pdf
File Size: 4431 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Picture
Newsletter ( Advocacy Project)

No.1 

English
File Size: 386 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish
File Size: 381 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.2
English - A
File Size: 1364 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

English - B
File Size: 837 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish - A
File Size: 1360 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish - B
File Size: 899 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.3
English - A
File Size: 825 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

English - B
File Size: 1091 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish - A
File Size: 848 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish - B
File Size: 1119 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.4
English - A
File Size: 1452 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

English - B
File Size: 1085 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.5
English
File Size: 7439 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish
File Size: 7497 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.6
English
File Size: 1108 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish
File Size: 1305 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.7
English
File Size: 1231 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish
File Size: 1235 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.8
English
File Size: 5695 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish
File Size: 6709 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.9
English
File Size: 1984 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish
File Size: 1991 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.10
English.pdf
File Size: 7446 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish.pdf
File Size: 7537 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.11
English.pdf
File Size: 3922 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish.pdf
File Size: 3890 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.12
English.pdf
File Size: 4172 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish.pdf
File Size: 4308 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.13
English.pdf
File Size: 4092 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish.pdf
File Size: 4385 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.14
English.pdf
File Size: 3296 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish.pdf
File Size: 3412 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.15
English.pdf
File Size: 3696 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish.pdf
File Size: 3586 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.16
English.pdf
File Size: 5430 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish.pdf
File Size: 5373 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

No.17
English.pdf
File Size: 4101 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish.pdf
File Size: 4333 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


​Azzam et al. (2018). Towards Sustainable Water Resources Management in Iraq [Report]

Picture
The Task Force for the Future of Iraq’s Water Resources convened at a time of unprecedented environmental crisis in the Tigris-Euphrates River basin. Iraq’s water crisis made global headlines in early June 2018, when Turkey began filling the 10.4 billion cubic meter capacity Ilisu dam, but the crisis is complex and has been developing over a forty-year period. This report starkly displays the metrics of the crisis, with focus on:
– Iraq’s National Water Resources Strategy
– Iraq’s integrated water resources plan
– Short, mid and long-term policy measures to sustain demand
– Alternative water resources
– Environmental policies and climate change impact
– International law, policies and legal framework
– The Water and Energy Nexus
– The role of technology, engineering and the economy in water resources management.
​


Download Report

​The Need for Middle East Economic Confederal Union

Picture
The following paper explores the common geo-economic interests of Middle Eastern countries on water, energy, trade and security. It comprises three contributions, an introduction to the proposed goal of an Economic Confederal Union, with some background on the energy nexus in the region by Luay al-Khatteeb and two arguments describing how this can work in the water and electricity sectors, by Azzam Alwash and Harry Istepanian.
Download Report
Publications
1. Key biodiversity Areas
Picture
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are places of international importance for their biological diversity.  Their conservation is often achieved through protected area networks and other legal protections. They are identified nationally using simple, standardized criteria, based on their importance in maintaining habitats and populations of species. Read more
2. Eden Again: Hope in the       Marshes of Iraq

The first book in 35 years to describe the conditions in the Mesopotamian Marshlands, Eden Again by Suzanne Alwash, a founding member of Nature Iraq, covers in detail the ecological and human disaster of marshland drainage during the 1990s and the miraculous comeback of this unique wetland after 2003.  The work also chronicles the beginnings of Nature Iraq, featuring interviews and research by many of our staff.  It can be purchased here or here or here. 
Picture

3. Birds of Iraq

* To purchase the book contact us.
Picture

4. Children's Bird Guide

* To purchase the book contact us.
Picture

5. Raptors Trading
raptors_trade.pdf
File Size: 217 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Iraq is considered one of the main pathways for migratory raptors passing through to wintering grounds in Arabia and Africa. There are also a lot of resident abd breeding birds of prey. Forty-seven species of birds of prey (including owls) were recorded in Iraq. Every year the local animal markets in Iraq exhibit thousands of captured wild birds from small passerines to large birds of prey. The International Union for  Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have Red List for endangered species that  frequantly present at the markets. Exclusive information was also obtained from hunters/trappers, falconry associations, and animal shop owners about the main species targeted and sold during 2009-2010. In order to develop future conservation efforts to protect falcon species, one goal of these surveys was to determine which species were most popular and prized for capture and sale.

6.  Challenges Facing Iraq's Environment
Challenges Facing Iraq's Environment.pdf
File Size: 112 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

This article presents a summary of environmental issues in Iraq, with a particular emphasis on water, air quality, land use, and biodiversity. Fast and immediate remedies should be put in place to prevent further degradation of ecosystems in Iraq and start the healing process.

7. Conservation of Iraqi Mammals
Conservation of Iraq Mammals.pdf
File Size: 201 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Scientific research on mammals in Iraq has not been conducted in over 30 years and requires special training, methods, and equipment not currently available within Iraq.  Based on current knowledge about the conservation status of many animals, we must conclude that the local conservation status of many of these species within Iraq is potentially threatened. The native mammals of Iraq pose no significant danger to humans, display a very low incident rate for rabies and other diseases.

8. Hope for the Tigris? Status of the Ilisu Dam
Hope for the Tigris River By Anna Bachmann.pdf
File Size: 213 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

This article shows the decision of building the Illisu Dam on the Tigris River in Eastren Turkey. This Dam is a part of wider project called the Southeastren Anatolia Project, or GAP, in order to bring development to Southren Turkey. However, in order to do the project, more than 83 archaeological sites including the ancient town of Hasankeyf and between 50,000 to 80,000 people will have to relocate. The Dam will also affect many vulnerable species that call the area home. Last but not least, the Dam will affect the amount of water coming to Iraq and its quality.

9. Environmental Legal Guide For Laws In  Kurdistan       Region & Iraq
The Iraq Water Keeper Environmental Law and Advocacy Project, a project of Nature Iraq, recently created a user-friendly guide on the environmental laws of KRI & Iraq for the three major components of the environment; water, air, and soil, as well as the living elements of the plant & animal
Picture
This guide written in three languages (Kurdish, Arabic and English) explains the basic environmental laws of the country and the region and the rights of its citizens to take action. ​
English.pdf
File Size: 1341 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Arabic.pdf
File Size: 1559 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Kurdish.pdf
File Size: 1703 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


10. CATnews Newsletter
CATnews is the newsletter of the Cat Specialist Group,
a component of the Species Survival Commission SSC of the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
It is published
twice a year, and is available to members and the Friends of
the Cat Group.
Cat_News_Newsletter.pdf
File Size: 1317 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


11. Wildlife Middle East News
Wildlife Middle East News is published quarterly. It contains papers, reports, letters and announcements
submitted by veterinarians, biologists, conservationists, educators, and other animal care professionals
working with captive andfree-living wildlife in the Middle East region.
wildlife_middle_east_news.pdf
File Size: 1309 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


12. Peramagroon: Profile of a Kurdish Mountain
This booklet provides a snapshot of the natural and human environment of Peramagroon mountain near Sulaimani in Iraqi Kurdistan. It is intended provide a stimulus to encourage research aimed at providing data to underpin informed decision-making on matters concerned with sustained rural livelihoods and conserving the rich biodiversity of Kurdistan. It is hoped that the booklet will also be of interest to a wider audience by giving a picture of the present environmental and cultural status of one of the most beautiful areas in Iraq.
landuse_manual-english.pdf
File Size: 54834 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


13. Environmental Activities for Schools
Iraq is rich in biodiversity and biological heritage. For its size Iraq has an enormous wealth of landscapes and habitats including everything from snow covered mountains, majestic rivers, arid deserts and plains, montane woodlands and grasslands, luxuriant agricultural regions to the unique marshlands of the south. Iraq also has a rich cultural heritage. The first cities in the world were established in ancient Sumeria in the south of the country. Agriculture was invented over 10,000 years ago in the northern mountains where crops such as barley, wheat, peas and lentils were first grown. This great diversity of habitats together with the impact of man over thousands of years has shaped the present day environment of Iraq and has resulted in the development of a remarkably rich “biodiversity”, that is a large number of different types of plants and animals.
teachers_toolkit-english.pdf
File Size: 16883 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


14. Evidence for persistence and a major range-Folia Zoologica
Evidence_for_persistence_and_a_major_range-folia_zoologica.pdf
File Size: 802 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Picture
15. Zoology in the Middle East

“Do recent leopard Panthera pardus records from northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey reveal an unknown population nucleus in the region?” article has been published in Zoology in the Middle East Volume 62 No. 2, June 2016.
Batur Avgan, Hana Raza, Muhammadsaddik Barzani and Urs Breitenmoser.

Read abstract


16. Kurds' best friends
​

As a baby, Hana’s family fled to the mountains of Kurdistan to escape a brutal regime.
As an adult, she returned to create a safe haven for a threatened leopard.


This is her stunning story
Picture

17. Wars and WildLife

​Read more about the article..

Download the PDF file.

Picture

18. Environment Friend
Environment Friend Book, is the coloring book that has been released by Iraq water-keeper environmental law and advocacy project for Elementary students in Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Click here to view the book 
Picture

19. Brownbook Magazine
Picture

Foto

Nature Iraq

Mission
History
Staff Highlights
Contact Us

What We Do

Biodiversity Conservation
Water Resources
Sustainable Development
Capacity Building

Get Involved

Membership
Volunteer
Donate
Career

Looking for the Old Website?

Find a Cached Version Here 
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Staff Highlights
    • Contact
    • Support us >
      • Volunteer
      • Membership
      • Career
  • What We Do
    • Current Projects >
      • Mesopotamia Revitalization Project
      • Conservation of Persian leopards in West Asia
      • Safeguarding the Persian Leopard Through the Establishment of Protected Area in Qara Dagh
      • Preservation and the Digital Documentation of the Traditional Handcrafts >
        • Photo Gallery
        • Videos
      • Wastewater Garden Project
    • Past Projects >
      • Persian Leopard Conservation >
        • Conservation and Monitoring
        • Advocacy And Stakeholder Engagement
        • Education And Public Awareness
      • Waterkeeper Law and Advocacy Program >
        • Project Photos
        • Project Videos
        • Waterkeepers Iraq >
          • Photos
        • List of Activities
      • Key Biodiversity Areas >
        • Gallery
      • New Eden Project
      • Adobe House >
        • Photos
      • Compressed Soil Brick Construction >
        • Photos
      • Darwin Project in-Situ >
        • Land Management
        • Education/Outreach
        • Online Course
        • Surveys and Fieldwork
        • Birds of Peramagroon
        • Photos
      • Marshlands Empowerment >
        • Photos
      • Sociable Lapwing Project >
        • Photos
      • The National Atlas of Marshes and Wetlands of Iraq
      • Green Festivals >
        • Photos
      • Biodiversity Conservation >
        • Wildlife Camera Trap Images
        • Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP)
      • Water Resources >
        • Mesopotamian Outreach Project >
          • The Tigris River Flotilla
          • Photos
      • Sustainable Development >
        • Eco-Camp
        • Photos
      • Capacity Building
      • Exhibitions >
        • Paris
        • UK
        • Al-Hella, Iraq
        • Basra, Iraq >
          • Basrah, 13-15 July 2008
          • Basra, 1 Jan 2009
        • Erbil, Iraq
        • Thi-Qar, Iraq
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos ( Page 1 )
    • Videos ( Page 2 )
    • News Room
    • Literature
  • Language
    • Arabic عربي
    • Kurdish كوردی