Hana Raza is a Kurdish wildlife conservationist who rediscovered the Persian leopard, once thought to be extinct, in the mountains of Kurdistan in 2011. She dedicated her career to establishing a program for conserving this globally endangered species. In 2017, she was awarded the prestigious award of Future for Nature.
Together we talk about:
- Why it is important to protect the Persian leopard
- What the main threats that this animal faces in Iraq are
- What it’s like to be a woman conservationist in war-torn country
- Hana’s current efforts to establish a nature reserve in Qara Dagh
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Hana Raza (*1987) is a wildlife conservationist born and raised in Iraqi Kurdistan. She joined Nature Iraq in 2009 where she established their department of mammals. Hana is a co-author and team leader of the Key Biodiversity Areas of Iraq book which was published in 2017. Hana and her team rediscovered the once thought to be extinct Persian leopard in the mountains of Kurdistan in 2011 and she dedicated her career to establishing a program for conserving this globally endangered species. She is a member of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, a Committee member of the OSME Conservation Fund, as well as the editorial board member of the Sandgrouse Journal. Hana is a Chevening scholar and Newcastle University Alumna, where she completed her Master’s degree in Ecology & Wildlife Conservation. In 2017, Hana was awarded the prestigious award of “Future for Nature”.
Photo credit: Nariman Ahmad
VERONIKA PERKOVÁ 