ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 63,000 trees were illegally cut down in the forests of the Kurdistan Region in the past year, an official told Rudaw on Friday. Some 63,350 trees were cut down last year in the Kurdistan Region, according to Fuad Ahmad, director of media for the Forest and Environment Police. “In Kurdistan, there are some trees that are unique and people must not approach these trees or destroy them in any way because their numbers are very limited,” he said. Ahmad said that they have notified the authorities “that restaurants should not be allowed to use fresh, green wood for grilling fish and preparing food in any way.” Over the past 50 years, the Kurdistan Region has lost 50 percent of its planted forests and 30 percent of its natural forests, according to a survey by the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture. The bulk of Iraq’s forests are located within the Kurdistan Region, but these green spaces are facing significant threats from human activity and climate change. According to the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources in 2024, just over 12 percent of the Region’s land area is green.
