About the Rangeland and Watershed Management Department

1. History and Development

The Department of Rangeland and Watershed Management at the Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan, was established in October 1995, initially offering an Associate's degree program titled "Rangeland and Watershed Management Technology" as an independent department under the former Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In October 1997, the department received the necessary authorization to admit students to the Bachelor's program in Natural Resources Engineering – Rangeland and Watershed Management. The department further expanded its academic offerings by launching a Master's program in Rangeland Engineering in 2012 and a Master's program in Watershed Management Engineering in 2016. In 2017, the title of the undergraduate program was changed to Nature Engineering.

2. Message from the Head of the Department

"Natural resources, including water, air, soil, plants, and animals, are the foundation of life and human economic and livelihood activities. Their sustainable management is essential for meeting basic needs (food, water, shelter, and energy), supporting livelihoods (providing jobs and income for communities), maintaining ecosystem services (climate regulation, water and air purification, and biodiversity support), and ensuring long-term sustainability (conserving resources for future generations). Effective watershed management is vital for protecting soil from erosion (essential for agriculture and water quality), managing water resources (ensuring a clean water supply for human consumption, agriculture, and industry), controlling floods and droughts (regulating water flow to prevent devastating events), and reducing water pollution (minimizing the impact of human activities on water quality). Rangelands are natural ecosystems covered by native annual and perennial plant species as well as shrubs. Their sustainable management is crucial for livestock production (providing forage for domestic animals and meat for humans), conserving a wide range of plant and medicinal species, and sequestering carbon to help mitigate climate change by storing carbon in vegetation and soil. Today, human activities such as overgrazing, deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices, and industrial development in watersheds have led to increased soil erosion and sedimentation in rivers, affecting downstream water quality. Therefore, by implementing integrated natural resource management practices and strengthening stakeholder participation, we can ensure the sustainability of these vital resources for present and future generations. The Department of Rangeland and Watershed Management at the University of Kurdistan offers a Bachelor's degree in Nature Engineering and Master's degrees in Rangeland Science and Engineering (with specializations in Rangeland Improvement and Restoration, and Rangeland Management) and Watershed Science and Engineering (with specializations in Soil and Water Conservation, and Flood and River Management). Therefore, students who are passionate about nature and the conservation of natural resources can turn their passion into a profession by studying Nature Engineering."

3. Goals

At the undergraduate level, the Nature Engineering program, with its combination of plant sciences, geology, climatology, and resource management, trains individuals who can play a role in important projects such as watershed management, rangeland restoration, and desertification control. Nature engineers are involved not only in conserving natural ecosystems but also in designing and managing national and forest parks and in environmental planning for a sustainable future. The main goal of the Nature Engineering program is to train experts who can work in the management, conservation, and sustainable development of natural resources using their knowledge and skills. This program specifically focuses on understanding plant communities, landforms, climatic factors, water and soil, as well as the causes of soil degradation and erosion and their conservation.

At the Master's level, the Watershed Science and Engineering program aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of watersheds in terms of their potentials and limitations, and ultimately, the integrated management of water and soil resources using managerial, biological, and technical-engineering methods, with a focus on the watershed inhabitants or humans. The program is designed so that graduates will be able to work in research and executive centers on preparing watershed management plans, designing and implementing mechanical and biomechanical structures, controlling mass movements, managing floods and droughts, urban watershed management, and other watershed management programs.

At the Master's level, graduates of the Rangeland Science and Engineering program gain the necessary insight and awareness in the fields of understanding the landscape, rangeland ecosystems and the relationships between their components (environmental factors and vegetation), conservation, utilization, and improvement of rangelands, combating erosion, drought, and dust control, and the ability to economically exploit rangeland ecosystems, such as harvesting and processing economic plants. Graduates of this program will be able to work on rangeland management plans, design and implement biological and biomechanical improvement programs to restore rangeland ecosystems, determine the potential of rangelands for multipurpose uses such as beekeeping and medicinal-industrial plants, and other rangeland management programs.

4. Specializations

• Watershed Science and Engineering:

  • Soil and Water Conservation

  • Flood and River Management

• Rangeland Science and Engineering:

  • Rangeland Restoration and Improvement

  • Rangeland Management

5. Scientific and Research Areas

• Soil and Water Conservation (quantity and quality)

• Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering

• River Engineering

• Natural Hazards

• Integrated Watershed Management

• Identification of Rangeland Plants

• Rangeland Ecology

• Rangeland Improvement and Development

• Rangeland Management

• Rangeland Measurement and Assessment