Abstract
Forestry in Iraq has suffered a distinct deficiency in meeting the population's demand for primary timber products and secondary derivatives, including branches, foliage, wild plants, and wildlife products, necessitating a strategic shift toward innovative solutions for this dual economic challenge of timber scarcity and limited developmental funding. This crisis has been exacerbated by the destruction of vast forest areas through burning and unregulated logging by local inhabitants, compounded by state-led degradation during the First (1980) and Second (1990) Gulf Wars, as well as unmanaged grazing that decimated both natural and artificial tree cover. Furthermore, the collapse of irrigation systems has severely hindered reforestation efforts in the central and southern governorates and the restoration of natural forests in northern Iraq. Consequently, since 1980, Iraq has emerged as one of the highest consumers of wood in the developing world, compelling a heavy reliance on increasing annual imports of timber, paper pulp, compressed wood, and charcoal at rates surpassing comparable regional counterparts.
DOI
10.33095/jeas.v15i56.1265
Subject Area
Economics
First Page
69
Last Page
88
Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Recommended Citation
Abdul Qadir, M. S. (2009). The Importance of Improved Forests in Iraq and Their Impact on the Economic and Social Future. Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences, 15(56), 69-88. https://doi.org/10.33095/jeas.v15i56.1265
