Around 500 fully grown trees, estimated to be between 25 and 40 years old, have been cut down in the Kifri district of Sulaymaniyah northern province. These trees played an important role in reducing dust storms and improving the district’s green environment.
Most of the trees, primarily eucalyptus, had been planted at the entrance of Kifri, the district center, as well as in areas near factories and public parks. Beyond their environmental value, they also enhanced the visual appeal of the district.
Qazi Najm, head of the Forestry and Environment Department in Kifri, told KirkukNow “surveillance cameras captured an individual suspected of cutting down the trees, and he was later detained. Investigations indicated that the suspect carried out the act for financial reasons.”
Najm explained that, under the law, the individual must replace the trees he destroyed by planting new ones.
Eucalyptus trees are well adapted to Kifri’s climate because they can withstand high temperatures and drought. Their leaves also help reduce dust, while the trees themselves contribute to the area’s landscape.
Environmental activist Qadir Ismail from Khanaqin said that most of the destroyed trees are unlikely to grow again. “The only solution is to plant new ones, but this will take time and effort since the trees that were cut down were quite old,” he added.
Ismail noted that the tree-cutting took place gradually over a two-year period before authorities identified the perpetrator. “The main issue is that it took too long to find the person responsible,” he said, urging the municipality to quickly launch a large-scale tree-planting campaign.
Under the laws of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq KRI, cutting down trees can result in fines of up to 150,000 Iraqi dinars IQD (USD100) or imprisonment for as long as six months. Across Iraq, penalties range from a 25,000-dinar fine to up to two years in prison.
Kifri district is considered one of the disputed territories under the Iraqi constitution, though administratively it falls under the Garmian administration. According to data from 2023, green areas make up only 5.7 percent of the district’s total land—far below the international recommendation of at least 30 percent.
The population of the Garmian administration is estimated at 343,594 people, according to data from the Garmian Directorate of Statistics. Meanwhile, figures from the General Directorate of Municipalities in Garmian show that the area contains 243 large public parks and gardens, including 83 located in the Kifri district.
Aram Karim, a board member of a local supporting organization in Kifri, told KirkukNow that they are coordinating with the local government to plant canary seedlings to replace the lost trees. However, he emphasized that the project will require support from donors, philanthropists, and environmental advocates, many of whom have already pledged assistance.
According to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Health, environmental pollution is considered one of the factors contributing to cancer. In 2023, a total of 9,911 cancer cases were recorded in the Kurdistan Region, with lung cancer ranking as the second most common type. Across Iraq, the Ministry of Health reported more than 43,000 cancer cases during the same year.
