Nature Iraq

Description

Nature Iraq is Iraq’s first and only environmental conservation organization, working to protect, restore and preserve Iraq’s natural environment and cultural heritage. It is an Iraqi non-governmental organization accredited to the United Nations Environment Programme, affiliated with BirdLife International, and the only Middle Eastern member of the Waterkeeper Alliance. It was founded in 2003 by Azzam Alwash, an Iraqi engineer who returned to Iraq after the 2003 invasion.

The organization runs programs in biodiversity conservation, water resources and sustainable development. It surveyed dozens of Key Biodiversity Areas across Iraq in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and BirdLife International, identifying 82 sites of global biological importance. It has restored freshwater marshes in central Iraq and demonstrated low-cost sustainable building methods through its Adobe House project.

Nature Iraq trains staff, government employees, university students and other NGOs in environmental monitoring, GIS and data management. It works with a diverse in-house staff and hundreds of Iraqi and international consultants and volunteers. It operates from Sulaymaniyah, with additional staff in Baghdad and Chibaish.