Adela Hammoud, Ph.D., Minister, Iraqi Minstry of Health and Environmen

This work represents an important step in the urgent need for the creation of an integrated and sound database on the KBAs in the country and it forms the foundation for the development of a network of protected areas in Iraq to cover the various environments of the country.
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Erik Solheim, Head of United Nations Environment Programme

The Iraqi government and Nature Iraq must be congratulated for completing this extremely important mapping of the country's wildlife… this survey of Key Biodiversity Areas has laid the groundwork for the rehabilitation of the country's immense natural wealth.
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Patricia Zurita, CEO, BirdLife International

​This work represents one of the largest environmental surveys to ever take place in the Middle East. Since the completion of the surveys, Nature Iraq and its local and international partners, including BirdLife, have worked to assess the data collected and have identified 82 areas that are globally significant for their biological diversity. The Iraqi scientists who participated in this effort deserve a lot of credit for braving hard field conditions, not to mention security threats, to advance the conservation of critical biodiversity harbored in Iraq.
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Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International

Knowing where is the highest concentration of biodiversity and threatened wildlife, is a key component of the smart and responsible land use planning needed to preserve our natural capital and embrace truly sustainable development. This work also unveils the extraordinary natural richness of Iraq, something the Iraqi people should be proud of and the international community should help preserve. A great contribution to fulfilling what is our most existential aspiration and challenge: live in harmony with Nature.
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Joy Zedler, Ph.D., Aldo Leopold Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Wow! I had no idea how biologically diverse Iraq is, at both national and local scales! This contribution from Iraqi scientists and conservationists sets a high bar for inventorying potential Key Biodiversity Areas, then describing and illustrating the 82 sites that met selection criteria. The highlights of the book are the 82 “fact sheets,” each with a color photo, map, detailed rapid assessment data that justified their selection, and lists of threats to rare species survival.
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Brian Coad, Research Associate, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa

This work is the result of many years of effort, combining local and international expertise. It provides a fundamental background for understanding the biodiversity of Iraq and for the management of key areas. The Key Biodiversity Areas were assessed using mammal, bird, amphibian, reptile, fish, invertebrate and plant data. Conservation and education now have the information needed to protect and understand the natural environment in Iraq.
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Samad Muhammed, Head of environment protection and improvement board, KRG

This project has been one of the most significant missions of Nature Iraq dedicated to foster environmental protection in the country. As it is known worldwide, biodiversity is a great part of the environmental sector. It is the foundation of a broad range of ecosystem services that contributes to human well-being and we need to stand together to protect this natural wealth. Through the publication of the KBA book, Iraq and Kurdistan and the international community will benefit from the data and the information that this book provides. The KBA of Iraq will assist the government in assimilating the current developing environmental issues in general and biodiversity in particular that builds the basis for the creation of networks of protected areas in the country and the region. This book is the result of years of hard work and efforts of many local and international experts which introduces an important part of the environment of the country to the world and offers an opportunity for international experts to conduct more research on this important field of research.
I am certain that this book was written based on academic and technical expertise, which would set the foundation and necessary source for researchers, universities, NGOs, and environmental experts of Kurdistan-Iraq. Finally, I would like to express our appreciation for this valuable work and wish you success and continuity.
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