[Podcast series] Rediscovering the Persian leopard in the Kurdish mountains

IUCN NL works with local NGOs across the globe to create or expand safe reserves for endangered species and to connect wildlife habitats to increase species’ changes of survival. Passionate conservationists from Brazil, Indonesia and Iraq share their story in our Conservation Inspiration Podcast series. The second episode takes us to the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where Hana Raza is pioneering leopard conservation.  

Header photo: Camera trap image of a Persian leopard in the Qara Dagh nature reserve © Nature Iraq

Qara Dagh is a mountain ridge with dense oak woodlands located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. It is home to one of the most elusive predators on the planet: the Persian leopard. This extremely rare predator became the focus and flagship for the establishment of the first nature reserve in the entire region, the Qara Dagh Nature Reserve.

In this episode of the Conservation Inspiration podcast series, host Rosamira Guillen is joined by Hana Raza of the NGO Nature Iraq. They discuss how Hana and her team rediscovered the once thought to be extinct Persian leopard on the mountains of the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq and how since then, she dedicated her career to establishing a program for conserving this globally endangered species.

Both Rosamira Guillen and Hana Raza are partners whose work has been supported by the IUCN NL Land Acquisition Fund.