Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq faces a severe environmental challenge as 134 speciesare at risk of extinction, the Strategic Center for Human Rights warned onSunday, citing data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN).
Iraq is home to dozens of notable mammals, birds, andreptiles, including the goitered gazelle, wild goat, Iraqi wolf, striped hyena,sand fox, wildcat, smooth-coated otter, and wild boar, the center said,pointing to rare and migratory birds such as the Asian houbara, northern baldibis, African sacred ibis, white-headed duck, Egyptian vulture, easternimperial eagle, and storks, many of which rely on Iraq's marshes as a key stopalong their global migration routes. It also listed native fish, includingshabout, bunni, gattan, river carp, and freshwater turtles.
According to official data, the report noted, Iraq also hasabout 311 fish species, while nearly 234 plants and animals face varying levelsof extinction risk. These include 59 fish, 43 bird, and 20 mammal species.
“Protecting wildlife is no longer solely an environmentalissue but has become directly linked to food security and the right to ahealthy environment,” the center said, attributing the decline to pollution,drought, rising temperatures, desertification, falling water levels in theTigris and Euphrates rivers, and widespread illegal hunting.
The center urged the government, the ministries ofEnvironment, Agriculture, and Water Resources, the Kurdistan RegionalGovernment, and security agencies to take immediate action by tighteningenforcement against poaching, expanding nature reserves, restoring the marshes,increasing water releases, and launching a national program to protectendangered species and safeguard the rights of future generations.
: Silent extinction: Iraq’s wildlife fades as water runs out
