The mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan fall within the Irano-Anatolian Biodiversity Hotspot and are a Centre of Plant Diversity. They are home to important alpine genera such as Primula, Dionysia and Iris.
The fellowship will consist of a 12 month mentoring and training programme. This will raise awareness of this important but poorly known element of the flora and increase capacity for its conservation.
Outputs will be an ex-situ collection of Iraqi alpine plants, conservation action plans for selected species and a policy document addressing issues of access to genetic resources and CITES for the national Botanic Garden of Kurdistan.
