Nature Iraq, key biodiversity survey of Kurdistan
Korsh Ararat,
Ibrahem M. Abid,
Saman Abdul Rahman
KBA-Kurdistan
This document presents field observations from the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) Survey conducted in January and February 2008 & May and June 2008, in the three northern governorates of Iraq: Sulaimani, Erbil and Duhok. This survey is a joint effort of Nature Iraq (NI), the Iraqi Ministry of Environment (MoE), and other partners including the Kurdish Ministry of Environment (KMoE), the Environmental Police, a division of the Pesh Merga, as well as the University of Sulaimani (UofS).The winter and summer 2008 survey represent the third and fourth seasonal surveys conducted in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq since the start of the project in February 2007. The field effort focused on the following surveys: bird, fish, botany, water quality physical parameters, phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic macro invertebrates. This site review provides the basic findings of the species surveys (birds, fish, and botany) at each site to assist in the determination of whether the site meets KBA criteria.
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Table of Contents
List of Tables / 5
List of Plates / 5
Acknowledgements / 8
KBA Team / 8
Introduction / 9
Survey Area / 10
Important Notes on Methods & Procedures / 14
Birds / 14
Plants / 15
Fish / 15
Site Review / 16
1- Zalm Area (S12) - Elev. 513m (Winter & Summer) / 16
2- IBA 004 - Darbandikhan (S1) - Elev. 463 m (winter) & Elev. 466 m (summer) / 17
3- Kalar - (S3A) - Elev 274 & (S3B) - Elev. 202 (Surveyed in winter & summer) / 20
4- IBA 004 - Dukan (S2) - Elev. 482 m (winter) & Elev. 490 m (summer) / 24
5- Chamchamal (S9) - Elev 557 (Surveyed in winter and summer) / 29
6- Chami Rezan (S10) - Elev 647 (Surveyed in winter & summer) / 30
7- Peramagroon (S6) - Elev 1581m (Surveyed in summer only) / 31
8- Sargalu (S7) - Elev 931 (Surveyed in summer only) / 32
9- Awesar (S4B) - Elev. 1660m (Surveyed in summer only) / 34
10- Ahmed Awa (S4A) - Elev. 374 m (Surveyed in summer only) / 35
11- Penjween (S5) – Elev. 1202 m (Surveyed in summer only) / 36
12- Sharbazher Area (S13) - Elev. 1257 m (Surveyed in summer only) / 37
13- Qara Dagh (S11) - Elev. 910 m (Surveyed in summer only) / 39
14- Sangaw Area (S14) - Elev. 374m (Surveyed in summer) / 40
15- Altun Kopri (E3) - Elev. 256m (Surveyed in winter & summer) / 41
16- Aski Kalak (E10) - Elev. 253m (Surveyed in winter only) / 43
17- Turaq Steppe (E4) - Elev. 368m (Surveyed in winter only) / 45
18- Taq Taq (E2) - Elev. 371m (Surveyed in winter & summer) / 45
19- Doly Smaquly & Ashab Valley (E5A & E5B) - Elev. 1184m (Surveyed in summer only):
/ 48
20-Bahraka (E11) - Elev. 305m (Surveyed in winter & summer) / 49
21- Barzan (E8) - Elev 670m (Just surveyed in summer) / 50
22-Haji Omran (E1) - Elev 1800m (Just surveyed in summer) / 52
23-Kherazook (E9) - Elev 593m (Just surveyed in summer) / 53
24- IBA 004 - Bakhma (E7) - Elev 421m (Just surveyed in summer) / 54
25- Dohuk Lake (D9) - Elev. 605m (Surveyed in winter only) / 55
26- IBA 003 - Ser Amadia & Sulav (D2A & D2B) - Elev. 1123m (Surveyed in summer
only) / 56
27- IBA 001 - Benavi (D6) - Elev. 1375m (Surveyed in summer only) / 58
28- Sararu (D13) - Elev. 1048m (Surveyed in summer only) / 60
29- Zawita (D7) - Elev. 987m (Surveyed in summer only) / 61
30- Mangeesh (D8) - Elev. 914m (Surveyed in summer only) / 62
31- Atrush (D3) - Elev. 628m (Surveyed in summer only) / 63
32- Fishkhaboor-Syrian Border (D11A) - Elev. 327m (Surveyed in winter & summer) / 64
33- Fishkhaboor-Turkish Border (D11B) - Elev. 348m (Surveyed in winter & summer) / 66
34- Mosul Lake (D10) - Elev 311m (winter) & 315m (summer) / 68
35- Garagu (D5) - Elev. 1028m (Surveyed in summer only) / 71
36- Kalakchi (D12A) - Elev. 335m (Surveyed in winter & summer) / 72
37-Khazar (D12B) - Elev. 374m (Surveyed in winter & summer) / 74
38- Gali Zanta & Garbeesh Mountain (D1A & D1B) - Elev. 374m (Surveyed in summer
only) / 76
Summary & Conclusions / 79
Sites Important to Birds / 80
Sites Important to Plants / 81
Sites Important to Fish / 83
Areas of Concern for Other Species / 84
Threats to sites in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq / 85
Designation of Protected Areas within Kurdistan, Northern Iraq / 87
Annex A: Iraq Bird Species List with Provisional Conservation Status / 92
Annex B: Plates of Some Key Bird Species of Kurdistan, Northern Iraq / 99
Annex C: Iraq fish species of Economic Importance and Conservation Priority / 102
Annex D: Pictures of Some Key Fish Species and Issues of Kurdistan, Northern Iraq / 108
Annex E: Plant list of plants seen on the KBA Surveys for Kurdistan, Northern Iraq / 111
List of TablesTable 1: KBA Kurdistan Survey Areas (areas highlighted in gray were surveyed in the summer
survey only, areas surveyed in winter only have an “*”.) / 10
Table 2: Breeding codes for Bird Observations / 14
Table 3: Rare species observed in the 2008 survey effort / 82
List of PlatesPlate 1: Map of Surveyed Areas in 2008 by Google Earth / 13
Plate 2: Zalm (S12) / 16
Plate 3: Darbandikhan Lake (S1) / 18
Plate 4: Kalar (S3A) / 20
Plate 5 & Plate 6: HHA Maps of Kalar Sites A & B / 23
Plate 7: Dukan (S2) / 25
Plate 8, Plate 9 & Plate 10: Three HHA Maps of Dukan / 27
Plate 11: Chamchamal (S9) / 29
Plate 12: Chami Rezan (S10) / 30
Plate 13: Peramagroon (S6) / 32
Plate 14: Sargalu (S7) / 33
Plate 15: Awesar (S4B) / 34
Plate 16: Ahmed Awa (S4A) / 35
Plate 17: Penjween (S5) / 36
Plate 18: Sharbazher (S13) / 38
Plate 19: Qara Dagh (S11) / 39
Plate 20: Sangaw Area (S14) / 40
Plate 21: Altun Kopri (E3) / 41
Plate 22: HHA Map of Alton Kopri / 42
Plate 23: Aski Kalak in winter (E10) / 44
Plate 24: Turaq Steppe in winter (E4) / 45
Plate 25: Taq Taq (E2) / 46
Plate 26: HHA Map of Taq Taq / 47
Plate 27: Doly Smaquly & Ashab Valley (E5A & E5B) / 48
Plate 28: Bahraka (E11) / 49
Plate 29: Barzan (E8) / 51
Plate 30: Hagi Omran (E1) / 52
Plate 31: Kherazook (E9) / 53
Plate 32: Bekhma (E7) / 54
Plate 33: Dohuk Lake (D9) / 55
Plate 34: Ser Amadia (D2A) / 57
Plate 35: Sulav (D2B) / 57
Plate 36: Benavi (D6) / 59
Plate 37: Sararu (D13) / 60
Plate 38: Zawita (D7) / 61
Plate 39: Mangeesh (D8) / 62
Plate 40: Atrush (D3) / 63
Plate 41: Fishkhaboor-Syrian Border (D11A) / 64
Plate 42: HHA Map of Fishkhaboor Site A / 65
Plate 43: Fishkhaboor-Turkish Border (D11B) / 67
Plate 44: HHA Map of Fishkhaboor Site B / 67
Plate 45: Mosul Lake (D10) / 68
Plate 46: HHA Map of Mosel Lake / 69
Plate 47: Garagu (D5) / 71
Plate 48: Kalakchi (D12A) / 72
Plate 49: HHA Map of Kalachi Area / 73
Plate 50: Khazar (D12B) / 74
Plate 51: HHA Map of Khazar / 75
Plate 52: Gali Zanta (D1A) / 76
Plate 53: Garbeesh (D1B) / 77
Plate 54: Irano-Anatolian Sub-region (Original map by Conservation International) / 79
Plate 55: Road construction impacts in Ashab Valley (D5B) / 83
Plate 56: Leopard killed by a land mine near the village of Mortka (Darbandikhan) in October 2008 / 85
Plate 57: Uncontrolled gravel mining in the river bed at Bahraka (E11) / 86
Plate 58: Electrofishing in Altun Kopri (E3) / 86
Plate 59: Trash Dump on Peramagroon Mountain (S6) / 87
Plate 60: Harding of stream edges and resort development at Gali Ali Beg (S10, Surveyed in 2007) / 87
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The contents of this report are derived from work conducted in 2008. The Program would not have been possible without the key partnership arrangements and personal commitments of colleagues at Nature Iraq (Dr. Azzam Alwash and Anna Bachmann), Minister Narmin Othman (Iraqi Ministry of Environment), and at BirdLife International in the United Kingdom (Mr. R. F. Porter), in Jordan (Mr. Sharif Jbour) and their national partner organizations in Syria (the Syrian Society for the Conservation of Wildlife), Jordan (the Royal Society for Conservation of Nature) and also to Mauro Randone (Medingegneria Ltd. for the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea).
This program was initially supported by the Canadian International Development Agency from 2004-2006. From 2006 to the present, generous support has been provided by the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea.
KBA Team The Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) team mainly consisted of staff from Nature Iraq (NI) and the Iraqi Ministry of Environment (MoE):
Vascular Plants / Macrophytes ― Saman Abdul Rahman (UofS), S. M. Muzher (NI), Adnan Ali Mer Jamsher (KMoE) & Nora Jamel.
Fish - Haider Ibrahim (MoE), Ibrahim M. Abid (NI), & Muhammed Saed Muhammed Noori (KMoE).
Birds ― Korsh Ararat (NI), Laeth Ali Abed (trainee) & Omar Fadhil.
In addition, Hawar Bawary (Dohuk Environmental Police) has been extremely helpful to the team in the Dohuk Governorate and advised the team on logistical and safety issues throughout the governorate but particularly on the contentious border with Turkey. The same is true for Officer Jwamer and the Forestry Police in Darbandikhan. Additional local partners have assisted the project logistically and with information about the survey sites. These have included the many guides, herders, fisherman and hunters who have helped the team and we include them in our thanks.
IntroductionThis document presents field observations from the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) Survey conducted in January and February 2008 & May and June 2008, in the three northern governorates of Iraq: Sulaimani, Erbil and Duhok. This survey is a joint effort of Nature Iraq (NI), the Iraqi Ministry of Environment (MoE), and other partners including the Kurdish Ministry of Environment (KMoE), the Environmental Police, a division of the Pesh Merga, as well as the University of Sulaimani (UofS). The winter and summer 2008 survey represent the third and fourth seasonal surveys conducted in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq since the start of the project in February 2007. The field effort focused on the following surveys: bird, fish, botany, water quality physical parameters, phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic macro invertebrates. This site review provides the basic findings of the species surveys (birds, fish, and botany) at each site to assist in the determination of whether the site meets KBA criteria.
KBAs are sites that are large enough or sufficiently interconnected to support viable populations of the species to which they are important. The KBA selection process uses four criteria based on the presence of four categories of species for which site-scale conservation is appropriate:
1. Globally threatened species;
2. Assemblage of restricted-range species;
3. Congregations of species that concentrate in large numbers at particular sites during some stage in their life cycle.
4. Assemblages of biome-restricted assemblages.
The KBA process is part of a large international effort to help in the establishment and prioritization of sites that are of global, regional and/or national importance. All sites are worthy of protection but conservation funds are limited and it is important to identify unique sites in Kurdistan-Iraq that are at risk of being lost or irreversibly damaged. The environment in Iraq has, after decades of war and civil strife, faced massive changes and degradation. Kurdistan-Iraq faced the destruction of thousands of its villages, chemical bombings and massive upheaval and migration of its population during the Anfal campaign of the previous Iraqi regime. Though the societal damage has been documented little has been done to examine the effects of these issues on the local environment. Underlying problems have also existed in the region for many decades if not several thousand years such as the extensive deforestation and overgrazing that has deforested many areas in Iraqi Kurdistan and continues to threaten the forests there today.
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Korsh Ararat,
Ibrahem M. Abid,
Saman Abdul Rahman
Nature Iraq, key biodiversity survey of Kurdistan
KBA-Kurdistan
KBA-Kurdistan
Nature Iraq, Key Biodiversity Survey of
Kurdistan Northern Iraq
Site Review for Birds, Botany & Fisheries
Winter & Summer 08 Survey
2008 KBA-Kurdistan, Northern Iraq Site Review
Publication No. NI-1208-001
Nature Iraq field report
2008 KBA-Kurdistan, Northern Iraq Site Review P a g e | 1
© 2008
Sulaimani, Kurdistan, Iraq
This report is prepared to summarize and inform partner agencies on the status and progress of the biodiversity initiatives of Nature Iraq. For more information please refer to Nature Iraq’s
web site: www.natureiraq.org or write to:
Nature Iraq Office
House #25, Street #27
Area 104, Ashti Quarter
Sulaimani, Kurdistan, Iraq
Key Biodiversity Survey of
Kurdistan, Northern Iraq
Site Review for Birds, Botany & Fisheries
Winter & Summer 08 Survey
