Environmental activists plant thousands of wild herbs and trees in Sulaymaniyah’s Haji Awa mountains

SULAYMANIYAH — In a week-long environmental initiative, a group of activists successfully planted thousands of Hawthorns and Kurdish banê, or pistacia atlantica, seeds in the Makok Mountains of Haji Awa, part of the Raparin Independent Administration in Sulaymaniyah governorate.

“Over the past week, my three colleagues and I managed to plant 3,500 Crataegus seedlings and one kilogram of Pistacia Atlantica’s seeds in the Makok Mountains,” said Rawand Hassan, one of the environmental activists, in an interview with 964media.

Hassan explained the rationale behind choosing these specific plants: “These species are ideal for the local ecosystem as they require minimal water, adapt well to the natural environment, and produce significant amounts of oxygen. Additionally, they offer multiple benefits to the community, serving as both edible plants and valuable medicinal resources.”

He emphasized the broader environmental and social impacts of their efforts, highlighting their potential to support local biodiversity and sustainable agriculture practices.

“We hope to replicate this project in the Pshdar region, which also falls under the Raparin Administration, in the near future. Our ultimate goal is to increase green coverage across the Kurdistan Region and promote environmental sustainability,” Hassan added.

Across the Kurdistan Region, individual environmental initiatives are playing a vital role in preserving the ecosystem and combating environmental degradation.

Last week, a Kurdish environmental activist from Shiladze, located in the Amadiya district of Duhok governorate, donated 4,000 saplings to support a reforestation project on Mount Maqlub in the Shekhan district of Nineveh Governorate. These saplings, set to be planted in the coming months, represent a personal commitment to protecting and restoring the region’s natural landscapes.

In a similar effort, local environmental teams have been planting trees along the Sulaymaniyah-Kirkuk highway in the Chamchamal district. During the final phase of the initiative on Tuesday, teams focused on replanting trees in areas where earlier plating had failed, primarily due to traffic-related damage and environmental stress.