ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday stressed the importance of preserving the Region’s natural environment, underlining the importance of addressing challenges posed by climate change.

The premier’s remarks came during a speech at the launch event of Kurdistan Biodiversity Project, a Kurdistan Foundation initiative that aims to collect, collate, and disseminate information on the Region’s animal and plant life to serve as a foundation for future conservation research.

“We are now in the era of climate change, which presents major challenges and problems to our region and the world,” the prime minister said, stressing the importance of preparing to address the impacts of climate change on the Region.

Barzani noted that the protection of the environment is a responsibility for both individuals and the government, affirming his support for everyone involved in the “important project.”

The launch also introduced the initiative’s website, which serves as a data bank for biodiversity-related information, according to a Kurdistan Foundation press release.

The project records over 2,250 species, including over 1,400 plant and nearly 850 animal species, which are comprehensively broken down on the project website.

The premier explained the importance of the initiative toward “further globalizing the different components of Kurdistan’s beautiful and colorful nature.”

He lamented that attacks on the Kurdistan Region have destroyed much of its nature, especially during the previous Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein, whose use of chemical weapons in Kurdistan caused untold damage to its ecosystem in addition to killing thousands of people, noting that the government has attempted to reverse years of damage accumulated over the last century.

The Kurdistan Foundation, a nonprofit non-governmental organization seeking to provide greater services and opportunities for the Kurdistan Region’s youth and preserve and promote Kurdish culture, was launched in the Region’s capital, Erbil, in December 2024.

Founded by Areen Masrour Barzani, the Kurdistan Foundation brings several entities under one umbrella and aims to contribute to the empowerment and advancement of the Kurdistan Region through equipping the youth with essential skills and capacities and facilitating job opportunities, as well as offering broader initiatives that seek to empower and advance Kurdistan.