The story of how a group of environmentalists are trying to establish a national park in northern Iraq.
Undeterred by the explosive remnants of recent wars—and desperate to salvage what’s left of their country’s much-depleted flora and fauna, a determined band of local environmentalists are intent on carving out an enormous protected area of roughly 460 square miles (that’s twice as large as Zion National Park in the U.S.) in Iraqi Kurdistan. After decades of widespread environmental destruction, most recently at the hands of Islamic State jihadists, they’re hoping to build both a wildlife sanctuary and a symbol of a better, more peaceful future.
