Environment

Zakho, Duhok launch one-million tree planting initiative

The first phase will include planting 100,000 trees that will be planted over the coming days, Sheekhoo told Kurdistan 24.

Kurdistan 24 2023/12/14 13:16

Head of Zakho Independent Administration Guhdar Sheekhoo (center) is pictured during the first phase of a one-million tree planting campaign in Zakho district, Dec. 14, 2023. (Photo: Zakho Independent Administration)

Kurdistan Zakho Duhok One-million tree

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Zakho Independent Administration and Duhok province on Thursday launched a tree planting campaign, which will include planting one million trees in coordination with the United Nations.

In two separate tree-planting campaigns, officials in Duhok and Zakho embarked on the green project early Thursday.

Guhdar Sheekhoo, the head of Zakho Independent Administration, announced a one-million tree planting campaign in the area, which will be rolled out in several phases.

The first phase will include planting 100,000 trees that will be planted over the coming days, Sheekhoo told Kurdistan 24.

The green project will continue throughout March until the one-million tree target is reached, he added.

“This project is like a dream come true for me,” the local official told Kurdistan24, highlighting the long-standing efforts behind the initiative.

Volunteers, officials embark on a one-million tree planting campaign in Zakho, Dec. 14, 2023. (Photo: Zakho Independent Administration) — Volunteers and officials embark on a one-million tree planting campaign in Zakho, Dec. 14, 2023. (Photo: Zakho Independent Administration)

Duhok Governor Ali Tatar along with United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) representatives participated in another tree-planting campaign, which is a continuation of an earlier one.

The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by WFP in coordination with the Duhok governorate.

Officials, members of the security forces seen planting trees on a 50-hectar area in Duhok, Dec. 14, 2023. (Photo: Maher Sinjari/Kurdistan24) — Officials and members of the security forces seen planting trees on a 50-hectar area in Duhok, Dec. 14, 2023. (Photo: Maher Sinjari/Kurdistan24)

The trees in Duhok province will be planted in 50 hectares plot at the foot of Mount Duhok, Governor Tatar said at a presser, calling on residents and business people to take part in the project.

“What is more important than tree planting is the care after the planting,” Tatar said.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has stressed the importance of collective efforts to tackle the threats, according to its officials.

Reforestation efforts are one of the areas that the KRG is working on in a bid to tackle climate change effects, according to a senior advisor.

One of the areas that the government is keen on to further support is [re]forestation efforts, Bayan Sami Abdul-Rahman, senior advisor of the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani for Foreign Affairs and Climate Change, said at the Middle East Peace and Security Conference (MEPS23) held in Dhuok in late November.

Iraq has already witnessed several adverse effects of climate change, including destructive flooding, droughts, and rising temperature, which has caused internal displacements, particularly in Nineveh province, per the latest Norwegian Refugee Council.

Two-thirds of the displacement in the south has taken place in urban centers, the report found.

“Iraq’s climate is changing faster than people can adapt,” the NRC has observed.

Officials, volunteers pictured during the first phase of a one-million tree planting campaign in Zakho district, Dec. 14, 2023. (Photo: Zakho Independent Administration) — Officials and volunteers pictured during the first phase of a one-million tree planting campaign in Zakho district, Dec. 14, 2023. (Photo: Zakho Independent Administration)