Recovering the Wild: Conservation of Imperilled oak woodlands in Kurdistan, Iraq

As a consequence of the oak woodland conservation project, Kurdistan Botanical Foundation has conducted different activities for the last two years of the project:
Ex situ conservation was performed for the two years duration of the project running (2021 and 2022). Thousands of acorns were preserved at the KBF herbarium for three oak species (Q. Aegilops L., Q. infectoria Oliv. and Q. libani Oliv.). However, there was not possible to collect acorn from Q. macranthera due to intensive annual pruning and overgrazing of this species at the site of their present. During the period of Nov. 2022 to Mar. 2023 a total of 700 saplings were planted in different locations of Choman and Soran districts of Erbil governorate and Hawraman mountain of Halabja governorate. For Covid-19 supplementary fund a total of 100 people from relevant governmental associations at the sites of oak forests, local people, conservationist and professionals in NGOs were trained on the conservation of oak wood land and recovery practices and protection oak forest from fire, reduce the logging by practicing right pruning and reducing overgrazing of the oak woodlands. While during training courses at the Universities (Soran, Sulaimani and Halabja) about 180 participants were benefited from the program of conservation for horticulture practices, conservation and recovery actions for oak woodlands in Kurdistan of Iraq. A total of 70 undergraduate student were involved in the activity of oak planting. This participation matched the activities of undergraduate module “university work environment” for the University of Sulaimani.