UN visits mangrove project as experts say 11 million tree target falls short of needs

BASRA — A United Nations delegation visited Khor al-Zubair on Sunday to follow up on a mangrove planting project along Basra’s coastline, launched in 2022 with a target of one million trees, as environmental experts called for expanding the effort to at least 50 million seedlings to meaningfully address climate challenges.

The project includes 800,000 seedlings funded by the government and 200,000 supported by the UN, with local authorities planning to expand the total to 11 million trees. Environmental expert Alaa al-Badran said the 11 million figure reflects growing attention to climate issues but that reaching 50 million would require sustained effort and long-term maintenance.

Sheila Matthew, head of the World Food Programme in Iraq, told 964media during the visit that field monitoring matters more than funding alone. “Bringing funding to projects is very important, but what matters more is following up on how that funding is used on the ground,” she said. The next phase will involve joint funding with local government, with a focus on advocacy, monitoring and evaluation.

The project has progressed since its 2022 launch. By August 2025, a campaign had planted 4,000 mangrove seedlings along the Al-Faw coast, with visible growth recorded in areas including Ras al-Bisha, the Al-Faw port surroundings, the breakwater and Al-Ashar basin.

The initiative carries implications beyond environmental goals. Observers have linked it to efforts to attract migratory birds that historically visited southern Iraq but have been drawn in recent years to artificial lakes built across the border in Kuwait. Badran said growing mangrove forests along Al-Faw and Khor al-Zubair could provide shade and marine food sources that draw birds back to Iraq’s coastline.

Mangroves thrive in saline water and are suited to Basra’s humid climate. Officials say the trees are relatively low-cost to cultivate and could support the development of a large coastal forest with continued investment.