VISIT BY KURDISTAN BOTANICAL GARDEN DELEGATION

On April 21, 2011, the Herbaria hosted a visit from a botanical delegation representing the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northeastern Iraq (see KRG website at http://www.krg.org/?lngnr=12). The delegation has the goal of establishing botanical gardens in Erbil and Suleimaniah. A new regional herbarium will also be established, in conjunction with a new Flora of Iraq project. The delegation consisted of:
  1. Dr. Sarbagh Salih: botanist (plant tissue culture, trained in England, worked at Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland); human rights activist
  2. Dr. Bahram K. Maulood: limnologist/phycologist; Senior Science Consultant, Twin Rivers Institute, The American University of Iraq - Sulaimani (http://www.auis.org/TRI); former president of Salahaddin University in Erbil; former KRG Deputy Minister of Agriculture & Irrigation
  3. Dr. Bushra Ahmed Hamdi: zoologist (histology/embryology); chair of Department of Laboratory Analysis, College of Pharmacy, Hawler Medical University (www.hawlermu.org; formerly part of Salahaddin University in Ervil)
Two Americans, Christopher Davidson and Sharon Christoph, who travel the world with the goal of photographing all plant families, (online at floraoftheworld.org) accompanied the Iraqis. These five were joined by Barbara Ertter of the Herbaria.