The TISHK Center for Kurdistan Studies is organising a Special Seminar entitled Ecocide in Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhelat).

Eastern Kurdistan, encompassing Kurdish provinces such as Urmia, Sina, Kermashan, and Ilam, has faced significant environmental degradation in recent years. The region, rich in natural resources and biodiversity, is facing widespread ecological degradation.
One of the major issues is the drying up of Lake Urmia, part of which is located in Kurdistan. Mismanagement of water resources, excessive construction of dams, and climate change have severely affected the ecosystem and threatened local livelihoods.
Additionally, the transfer of water from Kurdistan to other regions of Iran without considering the essential needs of local communities has put enormous pressure on the region’s water resources and has put agriculture and water supply in crisis.
Intentional and unintentional fires in the Zagros Mountains, which cover parts of Kurdistan, have further devastated the region’s natural environment and destroyed forests and wildlife habitats.
Another major issue is land subsidence caused by over-extraction of groundwater. This phenomenon has led to the destruction of infrastructure and significant risks to local livelihoods.
This seminar aims to illuminate the challenges arising from Iranian environmental policies in Kurdistan. It will explore the connection between these policies and ecocide from an academic perspective. Additionally, the discussion will highlight the role of Kurdish civil society in environmental movements and propose alternative solutions.
The seminar will be presented and led by three experts:
Dr. Mansour Sohrabi
PhD in Agricultural Ecology
Mansour Sohrabi received his PhD in Agricultural Ecology from Tehran University of Science and Research in 2009. He received his MSc from Tarbiat Modares University of Tehran in 2000. He taught in the field of Ecology from 2000 to 2012. Majors at Islamic Azad University He has served as a supervisor for more than 12 Master's theses. In 2016, he participated in a research project at the University of Kiel, Germany. Since 2018, he has been collaborating with various media outlets as an environmental expert and is also currently working in an organic products manufacturing company.
Dr. Jamil Rahmani
PhD in Sociology, Specialist in Nationalism and Social Movements
Jamil Rahmani is a sociologist specializing in nationalism and social movements in Kurdistan. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology in 2023 from Kharazmi University in Tehran, with his thesis focusing on the environmental movement in Eastern Kurdistan. He also holds a master’s degree in Sociology from Kharazmi University and a bachelor’s degree in Statistics from Razi University in Kermashan. He has taught sociology and currently works as a freelance researcher.
Dr. Dawod Rasooli Keya
PhD in Soil and Water Conservation
Dawood Rasuli holds a PhD in soil and water conservation. He taught at Erbil Polytechnic University for 14 years and published a number of papers on soil erosion and rainfall erosivity. He has prepared and published several scientific books and a number of other articles and publications. For the past year, he has been an Advisory Board Member of the TISHK Center.

The seminar is scheduled for Saturday, 18 January 2025 at 18:00 (Berlin time) and will be held in Kurdish. Participants can join via Zoom using the link provided.

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