Protect Goizha Mountain was formed to protect the nature of a mountain in the northern province of Sulaimaniyah, yet it has set its sight on even bigger dreams by taking steps to protect and defend the nature and environment in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The group was first declared on May 30, 2024 at the initiative of the environmental team of Azadbun, a local non-profit organization NGO, when part of Goyzha Mountain in Sulaimani was carved by a local investment company to change its nature into residential units.
"Our main goal was to put pressure on the authorities to stop the project on Goyzha Mountain and protect our environment," said Halwest Karim, a founding member of the group.
"We must take a stand and not remain silent about the violations committed against the environment," he added. "This is not easy and we have faced threats and been insulted.”
We must take a stand and not remain silent about the violations committed against the environment
The group has issued four press releases since its inception. They also read a legal memorandum in front of the Sulaimaniyah court, demanding the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG to follow the environmental law No. 8 of 2008, which prevents projects against the environment and nature.
Security forces prevent an activity of the Protect Goyzha Mountain in front of Goyzha mountain where it is dedicated for residential units, June 2024. Facebook account of Protect Goyzha Mountain
Last June, the group faced arrest, threats and insults when they gathered in front of Mount Goyzha to protest it against continued carving.
"We were forced to leave the place. Several members of our group were arrested, raped and injured, but we insisted on not leaving the place and read our statement of protest. Halwest said.
Goyzha Mountain is located in the northeast of Sulaimaniya and overlooks the entire city, has a charming and unique scenery in all seasons of the year, and is an important part of the environment and nature of the city.
“Unfortunately, our environment is under threat from big companies,” said Dilsoz Zangana, head of Dabin Organization and a member of Protect Goyzha Mountain.
Unfortunately, our environment is under threat from big companies
Zangana is concerned about the KRG's attitude towards the group's demands and believes that the companies have put their material interests above everything else, "and the government is shutting its eyes," after the government created obstacles to the group's protests.
28 different organizations and personalities, including activists, journalists and university professors, have become members of Protect Goyzha Mountain. The group has a special page on Facebook social media platform via which they publish their activities.
According to United Nations UN statistics and warnings, Iraq is ranked fifth among the countries most affected by the repercussions of climate change, which include the risks of water scarcity, drought, high temperatures, pollution, and other natural disasters.
More than 20,000 people have been forced to flee Iraq by the end of 2021 due to water shortages, according to the UN. Iraq annually burns 17 billion cubic meters of associated natural gas when drilling for oil, according to an energy expert.
A fire broke out in part of Goyzha Mountain, burning hundreds of trees. Protect Goyzha Mountain
The group consists of four committees and its members are divided into committees according to their expertise (information bank, water and sewerage, soil and geology, and communications committee).
They are currently preparing and publishing a report on the distortion of Goyzha Mountain, in order to expand the scope of the group's work to protect the environment and nature of KRI.
While the group is engaged in various activities, the project of carving Goyzha Mountain is still ongoing and they have accelerated their work.
"The implementing company has deployed more equipment and increased the number of workers to complete the project as soon as possible," Karim said.
However, he is optimist as they are widely supported and have been able to gather a number of organizations and individuals around one goal, which is to protect the environment and nature from destruction.
During the 2023 COP28 in Dubai, UAE, Iraq has decided to launch a bank to support environmentally friendly projects, the Green Bank of Iraq, with three main branches and 400 billion Iraqi dinars IQD (USD300 Million) capital.
The bank's overall goal is to mitigate the impacts of climate change in Iraq, generating 100,000 job opportunities as the first phase.
*This article was produced within the framework of the program to expand the role of women journalists in environmental coverage, implemented by KirkukNow Foundation and financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany.
