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Shafaq News- Saladin<\/p>\n
Wild bird and animal
\npopulations, including the native Iraqi bulbul, have declined in Balad
\ndistrict, Saladin province, in recent years as poaching and habitat loss
\nincreasingly threaten local biodiversity, Qaimaqam (district head) Haider
\nAl-Baldawi said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Al-Baldawi told Shafaq News
\nthat expanding human activity has reduced areas available for wildlife, while
\nillegal hunting continues to put pressure on fauna across the district. Among
\nthe affected birds is the Iraqi bulbul, which is captured for sale in Iraq and
\nabroad.<\/p>\n
Authorities, he noted, are Iraq lies along a major The Green Iraq Environmental
\nseeking to curb<\/a> poaching through tighter monitoring, particularly during
\nbreeding seasons, and legal action against violators. Al-Baldawi identified
\nHarba, Al-Hudaira, Uzair Balad, Al-Farhatiyah, Sayyid Gharib, and Al-Mahatta as
\nkey wildlife areas that also provide feeding and resting grounds for migratory
\nbirds, calling for stronger safeguards to preserve the district\u2019s ecosystems.<\/p>\n
\nmigratory flyway connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa, with at least 19 globally
\nthreatened bird species recorded in the country. In July 2026, Iraq\u2019s Strategic
\nCenter for Human Rights, citing International Union for Conservation of Nature
\n(IUCN) data, reported that 134 species were at risk<\/a> of extinction, driven
\nlargely by environmental degradation, water scarcity, illegal hunting, and
\nother human pressures.<\/p>\n
\nObservatory documented nearly 1,000 migratory birds killed<\/a> in Iraq\u2019s southern
\nmarshes in December 2025 alone, while conservation groups have warned that
\npersistent hunting could drive some populations away from their traditional
\nmigration routes.<\/p>\n