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Short Abstract

Countries affected by armed conflict often struggle to monitor pollution and sustain healthy ecosystems. This segment examines Iraq as a post-conflict case, reflecting on challenges faced and lessons learned from introducing citizen science to its complex sociopolitical and governance systems.

Abstract

Conflicts around the world may differ in their contexts but play a similar role in environmental degradation and shifting institutional and social priorities to the detriment of healthy ecosystems. Human and animal populations in warzones suffer from the toxic remnants of war and are rarely equipped to cope with such environments, creating unforeseen health hazards. Concurrently, institutional capacity and political priorities in conflict-affected settings are frequently diverted away from environmental management toward “more urgent” reconstruction efforts.

Iraq, a country that has endured a long period of armed conflicts and instability, is struggling to survive record levels of pollution and dwindling environmental resources. Industrial and municipal waste frequently contaminates drinking water sources, while hazardous war residues remain neglected, posing serious risks to surrounding populations. The country’s escalating water scarcity crisis has become a pressing concern, at times fueling tensions between local communities. Yet environmental institutions, weakened by neglect and insufficient funding, have been unable to adequately monitor or mitigate such hazards. This gap has pushed civil society to assume a more proactive role in environmental monitoring within this sensitive context.

Citizen science presents a promising opportunity to foster a participatory form of environmental management, particularly in monitoring pollution and promoting peacebuilding. This contribution aims to reflect on ongoing efforts to bridge the gap in environmental action between civil society and decision makers, with special focus on citizen science. It lays out challenges faced and best practices learned from introducing citizen science into post-conflict Iraq within its complex sociopolitical and governance systems.