Volunteers plant millions of seeds to restore vegetation in Nineveh’s Alqosh mountain

2026-03-11 - 13:14

Shafaq News- Nineveh Dozens of volunteers launched a tree-planting campaign on Alqosh mountain north of Mosul in Nineveh province, spreading about 5.5 tons of climate-resistant seeds as part of an initiative to restore vegetation and combat desertification in the area. Lara Youssef, director of Alqosh subdistrict, told Shafaq News that the campaign involves dispersing seed balls prepared in workshops in Alqosh and at the University of Duhok with the participation of students and volunteers. Around 150 people of different ages, including men and women, took part in the second day of the campaign, she said. The seed balls contain species capable of withstanding the harsh mountain climate, including sumac, hawthorn, and several types of pine and local cypress. Youssef said the campaign has so far dispersed about four tons of seed balls on Alqosh mountain, with the total expected to reach about 5.5 tons, equivalent to roughly 7.5 million seeds, adding that the initiative will be repeated next autumn and again in the spring of next year to increase the chances of successful germination, expressing hope that Alqosh mountain will eventually become a green area and that the experience can be replicated in other locations.