**7. Conclusion**

A part of the recent global impact of climatic and non-climatic factors on the environment is the consequence of the lack of a good irrigation system, imperfect water management policy, as well as the absence of water harvesting techniques in the whole of Iraq and Kurdistan in particular. Still changing river flow direction and the establishment of hundreds of dams in Turkey and Iran remain the main reason for the degradation of the quality and quantity of freshwater bodies in the Kurdistan in the north, in fact, the effect of such impact is extended to far south part as the desiccation of southern Iraqi marshes is already a quite visible fact.

The knowledge on the status of lower plants in this part of the world still is vague, in spite of listing around 3000 taxa of algae in inland waters of Iraq with only around 190 identified species of Bryophytes in the whole country, in contrast to tens of thousands of known species belonging to this group of lower plants globally. However, unbelievably, only 22 fern species are recorded so far from Iraq, whereas Kurdistan is known to possess quite a fit and suitable habitat for such plants.

Biologically and even ecologically Kurdistan part of Iraq may be named a virgin area yet for exploration and tracing the environmental impact of climatic and nonclimatic factors on such a group of lower plants. This gap of knowledge in this region needs to be filled in years to come by the local or international scientists.
