Iraq - Overview

Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services

A draft checklist of species for Iraq, established by the Center for Middle East Plants (CMEP), of the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh (RBGE), identifies over 4,500 plant species with a secondary list of approximately 195 endemic Iraqi species. Among Iraq’s five primary terrestrial ecoregions, three are considered to be “Critical/Endangered”, two are “Vulnerable”... More »

Main pressures on and drivers of change to biodiversity (direct and indirect)

Threats to biodiversity in Iraq include illegal and/or unsustainable practices of fishing and hunting; ecosystem conversions, such as the drainage of wetlands for agriculture; municipal and industrial pollution; agricultural chemical impacts; overgrazing; poor water resource management; salinization; road building and development; drought and desertification... More »

Implementation of the NBSAP

Strategic biodiversity objectives and activities have not been officially defined and included in relevant legislation and planning in Iraq. Yet Iraq is defining a “National Environmental Strategy” with support from the World Health Organization, UNEP-ROWA and the UNDP office in Iraq which concerns various environmental aspects, and includes the protection of Iraq’s biodiversity as a core component... More »

Actions taken to achieve the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets

In regard to the 11 goals and 21 targets contained in the global 2010 Biodiversity Target framework, progress towards five (5) targets is improving, while worsening for four (4) targets; no significant changes have been recorded for three (3) targets and, for nine (9) cases, insufficient information is available to make an evaluation... More »

Support mechanisms for national implementation (legislation, funding, capacity-building, coordination, mainstreaming, etc.)

During the 2007-2010 period, 12 environmental laws and 15 related laws were legislated, while the Environmental Protection and Improvement Law, Forest Law and Law on the Protection of Wild Animals and Birds were updated. In the same period, Iraq joined UNCCD, UNFCCC, CBD, RAMSAR Convention, Basil Convention, UNESCO Convention, Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol, International Agreement on Olive Oil, Regional Commission for Fish Traps... More »

Mechanisms for monitoring and reviewing implementation

Monitoring tools and research initiatives have been launched within the framework of the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) Surveys, Nature Iraq (2004‐2009) Flora of Iraq project, Smithsonian Natural History Museum and the Bar Code of Life research project on aquatic invertebrates. Examples include the development of draft checklists of the country’s birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish, as well as some attempts by the Ministry of Environment, in cooperation with many partners, to implement a Water Quality Index (WQI) and Indices for Biotic Integrity (IBIs) to examine overall water quality and the health of ecosystems... More »