The Natural History Research Center and Museum at the University of Baghdad hosted the first meeting of the Sub-Ministerial Committee for Genetic Resources on Thursday, October 23, 2025. The meeting was chaired by the Center’s Director, Assistant Professor Dr. Hanaa Hani Al-Saffar, and included Professor Dr. Razzaq Shaalan Augul and Lecturer Dr. Suhad Yassin Jassim, both faculty members at the Center, along with committee members from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Agriculture.
During the meeting, the form for Iraqi insects was discussed and amended to reflect the species in the Iraqi population. The committee members were instructed to rank the approximately 250 species previously submitted by the Ministry of Environment, which are confirmed by published Iraqi scientific research, according to the updated form. This rank will be presented to specialists within a specified timeframe. Following this, the insect species data will be completed according to their ranking. Tasks were distributed among the committee members based on their expertise and the proposals they submitted related to this topic. The most important recommendation put forward by the committee members was to hold a joint seminar at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research on the particular importance of preparing a database of insects, their environmental significance, their distribution, and the preservation of beneficial species, after completing a portion of the data entry process with relevant departments in other ministries.
