Nature Iraq

Nature Iraq is an Iraqi non-governmental environmental conservation organization established in 2003 by Azzam Alwash, an Iraqi refugee and engineer who returned to Iraq after the 2003 invasion. It is described as Iraq’s first and only environmental conservation group and works to protect, restore, and preserve the country’s natural environment together with the cultural heritage and livelihoods connected to it. The organization’s work is concentrated on several interconnected areas: biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, wetlands restoration, water-resource protection, environmental education, and scientific field research. Iraq’s rivers, marshes, wetlands, deserts, mountains, and agricultural landscapes support important ecosystems as well as communities whose economic and cultural life depends on water and natural resources. Nature Iraq therefore combines ecological surveys with community-oriented conservation and practical development initiatives rather than treating habitat protection as an isolated scientific activity. One of its largest research initiatives has been the Key Biodiversity Areas program. Conducted with the Iraqi Ministry of Environment, BirdLife International, and international advisory groups, the program involved extensive field surveys between 2004 and 2010. It identified 82 sites in Iraq considered globally important for biological diversity, creating a national evidence base for conservation planning and environmental management. Nature Iraq has also undertaken long-running work to restore Iraq’s freshwater marshes. These wetlands suffered severe damage from drainage and other pressures, but the organization has helped recreate portions of the central marshland system. Its Adobe House initiative demonstrates low-cost, alternative, and more sustainable construction approaches that may be suitable for housing in marshland communities. The organization’s Darwin Project has supported plant and bird surveys, biodiversity and land-use mapping, field training for conservation professionals, online learning, school education, and the production of field guides and other conservation resources. These activities link scientific documentation with capacity-building and public awareness. Nature Iraq has additionally supported environmental laboratory services through Blue Horizons Laboratories, which began as an initiative of the organization and later operated as a private laboratory. Its Waterkeepers Iraq program focused on protecting Iraq’s rivers, streams, and waterways while assisting communities in using water resources sustainably. Waterkeepers Iraq was registered as an independent NGO in 2014, became affiliated with the international Waterkeeper Alliance, and is described as the first Waterkeeper organization in the Middle East. Nature Iraq is accredited to the United Nations Environment Programme and affiliated with BirdLife International. Its role is consequently both national and collaborative: it works within Iraq while participating in broader conservation networks. The organization is best understood not as a consumer-facing brand but as a mission-driven environmental institution whose principal outputs are conservation programs, scientific information, training, environmental services, and restoration projects.

Nature Iraq was founded in 2003 by Azzam Alwash, an Iraqi refugee and engineer in the United States who returned to Iraq after the invasion that year. The organization emerged in a country facing extensive environmental pressures, including damage to wetlands, degradation of water systems, habitat loss, and the consequences of conflict and infrastructure disruption. Its mission developed around protecting Iraq’s natural environment while recognizing the close relationship between ecosystems, local communities, and the country’s cultural heritage. From 2004 to 2010, Nature Iraq worked with the Iraqi Ministry of Environment, BirdLife International, and international advisory groups on a nationwide Key Biodiversity Areas assessment. Through extensive field surveys, the initiative identified 82 Iraqi sites with global importance for biological diversity. The work supplied baseline information for conservation priorities and helped bring Iraqi habitats into internationally recognized biodiversity-planning frameworks. Wetland conservation became another central part of the organization’s activities. Nature Iraq has worked on the restoration of Iraq’s freshwater marshes and has helped recreate sections of marshland in central Iraq. The organization has also explored practical approaches to sustainable development in marsh communities. Its Adobe House project was designed to demonstrate alternative, inexpensive, and environmentally sustainable construction methods suitable for areas where conventional housing may be difficult or costly. The Darwin Project expanded the organization’s scientific and educational role. Its activities have included surveys of birds and plants, biodiversity and land-use mapping, professional field training, online learning for developing conservation practitioners, school programs, and the preparation of field guides and other educational material. These initiatives support both the generation of environmental knowledge and the development of local capacity to use that knowledge. Nature Iraq also established or initiated activities connected with environmental monitoring and water advocacy. Blue Horizons Laboratories began as a Nature Iraq initiative and developed into a private laboratory providing environmental laboratory services. Waterkeepers Iraq originated as a Nature Iraq program focused on rivers, streams, and waterways, and was registered as an independent NGO in 2014. It later became affiliated with the Waterkeeper Alliance and has been described as the first Waterkeeper organization in the Middle East. The organization has been accredited to the United Nations Environment Programme and affiliated with BirdLife International. These relationships have connected its Iraqi fieldwork with international environmental and bird-conservation networks. Its documented program history shows an institution combining applied conservation science, restoration, education, community engagement, and environmental services rather than operating as a conventional commercial brand.

• 2014

  Waterkeepers Iraq becomes independent

  [1]Nature Iraqen.wikipedia.org

  The Waterkeepers Iraq program was registered as an independent non-governmental organization, while retaining its focus on Iraqi waterways and community water stewardship.

• 2010

  Key Biodiversity Areas survey period concludes

  [1]Nature Iraqen.wikipedia.org

  The survey phase conducted from 2004 to 2010 identified 82 Iraqi sites considered globally important for biodiversity.

• 2004

  Key Biodiversity Areas fieldwork begins

  [1]Nature Iraqen.wikipedia.org

  Nature Iraq began extensive field survey work for a national Key Biodiversity Areas program with the Iraqi Ministry of Environment, BirdLife International, and international advisers.

• 2003

  Nature Iraq founded

  [1]Nature Iraqen.wikipedia.org

  Azzam Alwash founded Nature Iraq after returning to Iraq following the 2003 invasion, establishing an Iraqi organization dedicated to environmental conservation.

A science-based Iraqi conservation organization connecting biodiversity protection, wetland restoration, water stewardship, sustainable development, and environmental education.

• Biodiversity assessment and conservation planning · 2004

  Key Biodiversity Areas Program

  A national biodiversity survey and planning initiative carried out with Iraqi governmental, international conservation, and advisory partners. Extensive fieldwork from 2004 to 2010 identified 82 sites in Iraq regarded as globally important for biological diversity. The program produced information intended to support conservation priorities, habitat protection, and environmental decision-making.

• Habitat restoration

  Wetlands Restoration

  A continuing area of work focused on restoring Iraq’s freshwater marshes and associated wetland ecosystems. Nature Iraq has helped recreate portions of the central marshes, linking ecological recovery with the protection of communities and cultural traditions dependent on wetland landscapes.

• Sustainable development demonstration

  Adobe House

  A demonstration project showing alternative, low-cost, and sustainable building methods for potential use in marshland housing. The initiative addresses the practical relationship between conservation, local construction, affordability, and living conditions in wetland communities.

• Research, training, and environmental education

  Darwin Project

  A multidisciplinary conservation program involving plant and bird surveys, biodiversity and land-use mapping, field training, online learning for developing professionals, school education, and the preparation of field guides and other resources for conservation managers.

• Environmental laboratory services

  Blue Horizons Laboratories

  An environmental laboratory initiative initially started by Nature Iraq and subsequently operated as a private laboratory. It provides environmental laboratory services, extending the organization’s scientific and monitoring capabilities beyond field-based conservation work.

• Waterway advocacy and community stewardship

  Waterkeepers Iraq

  A water-protection initiative originally started by Nature Iraq to advocate for Iraq’s rivers, streams, and waterways and to support communities in using water resources sustainably. It became an independent NGO in 2014 and is affiliated with the international Waterkeeper Alliance.

1. 1Nature Iraqen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Nature Iraq official websitenatureiraq.org