Projects aim to plant one million oak trees in Kurdistan Region

“The big aim is to fight climate change in the Kurdistan Region.”
Volunteers plant trees at the start of the campaign to plant Million Oak trees in the Kurdistan Region by 2024 (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24).
Volunteers plant trees at the start of the campaign to plant Million Oak trees in the Kurdistan Region by 2024 (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24).

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Rwanga Foundation and the environmental protection organization Hasar on Sunday morning began planting 900 trees near the 120 Meter Road in Erbil as its first step toward its ambitious goal of planting more than one million oak trees in the Kurdistan Region by 2024.

Between 1999 and 2018, more than 2.2 million acres of woodlands of Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) were destroyed by wildfires and deforestation, Rwanga said in a press release.

In recent years, armed conflict in and around the borders of the Kurdistan Region has contributed to wildfires that have wiped out native woodlands and entire ecosystems.

Earlier this year, the United Nations called Iraq “one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world”.

Read More: Turkish airstrikes cause widespread forest fires, displacement in Kurdistan Region

“The big aim is to fight climate change in the Kurdistan Region,” Gashbin Idrees, the deputy head of the Hasar organization and project manager of the Million Oaks project, told Kurdistan 24.

The ‘One Million Oak’ project was started by the Hasar Organization in 2020 with the goal of planting one million Oak trees from 2020 till 2024.

Read More: Environmentalist group begins planting over 50,000 oak trees along Erbil’s 120 Meter Road

“We started in Erbil, but our aim is to plant a total of one million oak trees in the Kurdistan Region, not just Erbil,” Idrees said.

The oak tree is native to Kurdistan Region and makes up over 90% of all the trees in the mountainous areas of the autonomus region.

“The oak is resilient to dry climates and doesn’t require much water or maintenance, making it ideal for reforestation,” Rwanga said. 

Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw plants a tree (Photo: Kurdistan 24/Wladimir van Wilgenburg).
Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw plants a tree (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24).

Erbil Governor Omed Khoshna said his governorate supports this initiative in a speech he gave that was attended by diplomats, politicians and members of the civil society.

“As Governorate we support this, since climate change has affected us,” he said.

“And as we can see the participation of youth (volunteers) in this project, give a message that instead of destruction, the youth can be part of rebuilding and reforestation,” he added.

“After the planting of the trees, it’s the duty and task of citizens to protect these trees and make Kurdistan’s environment beautiful again.”

Several diplomats attended the planting event and even voluntered to help plant trees. These included diplomatic staff from the French, British, Dutch, Greek, Kuwaiti, Emirati, Jordanian, Iranian, Armeniaian, and Hungarian consulates.

UK Deputy Consul General Jamie Hamill waters a tree (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24).
UK Deputy Consul General Jamie Hamill waters a tree (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24).

UK Deputy Consul General Jamie Hamill told Kurdistan 24 that planting trees is hugely important for the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Read More: UK Consulate shows documentary on dangers of climate change

“As we heard during the speeches, Iraq is one of the most climate vulnerable countries of the world and I think it is really important that these grassroot efforts contribute a lot to raising awareness among people about the climate crisis and making a practical difference on the ground,” he said.

The UK also hosted the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference climate summit (COP26) in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November to reduce global carbon emissions.

“It’s of course very nice to see something on a global level and something on the local level like this,” UK Deputy Consul Hamill said.