Nature Iraq () is Iraq's first and only environmental conservation group. It is an

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

, accredited to the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

(UNEP) and affiliated to

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

. They seek to protect, restore, and preserve Iraq's natural environment and the rich cultural heritage that depends upon it. They conduct major work in sustainable development, biodiversity, and water resources. Nature Iraq was founded in 2003 by Azzam Alwash, an Iraqi refugee and engineer in the United States who returned to Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Programs

The Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) Program was initiated by Nature Iraq in partnership with the Iraqi Ministry of Environment and BirdLife International and other international advisory groups and included extensive field survey work from 2004 to 2010 to identify areas of the country that are globally important for their biological diversity. Eighty-two sites have been identified as KBAs in Iraq. Adobe House was built to demonstrate alternative, low-cost and sustainable building methods that could be applied to alternative housing in the marshland areas. The Darwin Project conducts plants and birds’ surveys, creates biodiversity and land use maps, facilitate practical field training courses and an online course for developing professionals, conducts educational activities with school children, creates field guides and other educational resources for conservation managers. Wetlands Restoration has been ongoing. Nature Iraq has successfully re-created some of Iraq's freshwater marshes in the central part of the country. The Blue Horizons Laboratories is a private lab offering environmental lab services that was initially started by Nature Iraq. Waterkeepers Iraq was a program originally started by Nature Iraq but registered as an independent non-governmental organization in 2014. It advocates and works to protect the rivers, streams and waterways of Iraq and supports local communities in the sustainable use of these natural resources. Waterkeepers Iraq is affiliated with the international

Waterkeeper Alliance Waterkeeper Alliance is a worldwide network of environmental organizations founded in 1999 that work to protect bodies of water around the United States and the world. By December 2019, the group said it had grown to 350 members in 46 countries, ...

. And is the first waterkeeper organization in the Middle East.

References

External links

Nature Iraq's official page

Waterkeepers Iraq's official page
Environmental organizations based in Iraq BirdLife partners {{environmental-org-stub

Programs

See also

References

External links