A determined band of local environmentalists are trying to form Iraq’s first international standard national park. Undeterred by hidden land minds, militants and air strikes, this group is trying to carve out an enormous protected area of roughly 460 square miles — for comparison, that is about twice as large as Zion National Park in the United States. Over the years in Iraq, there has been widespread environmental destruction, most recently at the hands of the Islamic State jihadists, reports National Geographic. But the conservationists are trying to build both a wildlife sanctuary and a symbol for a more peaceful future. “This could be a recipe for the rest of Kurdistan, the rest of Iraq,” said Salar Chomani, a mountain guide and big supporter of the park, to Nat Geo. But the group faces a lot of challenges. The location of the park is in the far northeastern corner of Iraq, in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, and the site has never been easily managed. It is very rugged, and its inhabitants have fought long and hard against any sort of outside control. The park is very close to Iran and Turkey, and in order to create the park, the group will have to pacify the “Devil’s Triangle.” They also have no money and very little political support. But the young team truly believe they can make this happen. They are used to improbable challenges after seeing their homeland survive countless crises.
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