A wild bird in Kurdistan region. Photo: Sabir Dri
World Wildlife Day
Kurdistan environmental group calls for protected areas to save biodiversity
SULAYMANIYAH — An environmental group in the Kurdistan Region is advocating for the creation of protected areas to safeguard mountain wildlife and birds, highlighting poaching as a major threat to their existence.
Maruf Majid, leader of the Aynda Organization for Environmental Protection, emphasized the critical need for protected zones in the mountainous areas of the region during an interview with 964media on World Wildlife Day. He stressed that such measures are essential to prevent the extinction of these species and to foster their population growth.
World Wildlife Day has been recognized officially by UNESCO on behalf of the United Nations since 1990.
Majid voiced concerns about the rising threat of extinction that wildlife and birds in the Kurdistan Region face, blaming insufficient oversight by relevant authorities. He remarked, “The illicit trade in mountain wildlife and birds within Kurdistan is widespread, leading to their decline both in the past and potentially in the future.”
He attributed much of the blame for the reduction in wildlife and bird populations in Kurdistan to political and military leaders, accusing them of not only purchasing these animals but also hunting them unlawfully.
Majid named Qaradagh, Mergasor, and border regions as prime candidates for conservation efforts, highlighting the need for governmental focus and international commitment to protect these areas from continuing dangers like shelling and bombing.
2008 laws on environmental protection and improvement in the Kurdistan Region clearly bans hunting, killing, capturing, possessing, or trading endangered species. Offenders are subject to punishments ranging from a month in jail to fines between 150,000 dinars and up to 200 million dinars, with penalties doubling for subsequent violations.
This year, the United Nations dedicated World Wildlife Day to exploring how technology can aid in wildlife conservation, while also acknowledging the hurdle of global internet access, with 2.7 billion people around the world still without internet services.
Globally, biodiversity is under siege from human activity, leading to a significant drop in species across the board. The World Wildlife Fund’s Living Planet Report 2020 documents an average decline of 68% in global populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles since 1970, highlighting the critical need for concerted conservation efforts.
Protected areas serve as essential refuges for at-risk species, with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) setting a target to protect at least 30% of the Earth’s land and sea areas by 2030. This “30 by 30” goal is crucial for mitigating biodiversity loss and ensuring ecosystem health.
Technological advancements are playing an increasingly vital role in conservation, from satellite and drone monitoring to artificial intelligence and bioacoustics – the study of sound production, dispersion, and reception in animals, including humans, as a means of understanding animal behavior, communication, and –ecology –, offering new ways to track wildlife, combat poaching, and manage protected areas effectively.