Criminal Protection of Forests in Iraqi Law (Comparative Study)

The research on the penal protection of forests in Iraqi law is of great importance because forests represent one-third of the earth's land area on the planet, and serve as a pillar to promote environmental health and human well-being, as they are vital shields against extreme weather conditions, and provide invaluable resources, yet forests face the challenge of continuous removal, so penal legislation, including the Iraqi penal legislation, should protect them, because of the catastrophic consequences of their removal resulting from the climate crisis, the destruction of biodiversity, land degradation and the loss of forests In this study, we have dealt with the penal protection provided by the Iraqi Forest Law, and its adequacy to preserve forests from felling, damage, burning and overgrazing, where the study included two topics, while in the first we defined forests and their types, and the second we dedicated to the statement of the penal protection provided by the Iraqi legislator to forests in the Iraqi Penal Code No. (111) For a year (1969), and the Law on the Protection and Improvement of the Environment No. (27) For a year (2009) Forestry and Forestry Law No. (30) For a year (2009)We reached a number of conclusions, including that the penal protection provided by the Iraqi legislator to forests was not enough to preserve them from felling and urban expansion, as well as the penalties he imposed were less severe and inappropriate to the importance and value of forests as a