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Feasibility study for a Marshlands National Park

This section of the website provides available information on the marshlands, for both the interested public and the serious researcher. Please let us know if there are any additional materials that should be included here. The following paragraphs provide a brief introduction to the marshlands.

Background on the Mesopotamian Marshlands

The extensive marshlands of Mesopotamia represent a unique component of our global heritage and resources. The seas of reed beds were home to ancient communities rooted in the dawn of human history. The wetlands are the locale in which human civilization began with the Sumerian culture more than 5,000 years ago. Scholars regard the marshes as the site of the biblical"Garden of Eden," the "Great Flood," and the birthplace of the patriarch Abraham. On the shores of the marshes, the legendary Epic of Gilgamesh was enacted. World-renowned archaeological sites on the fringes of the marshes include Ur, Uruk, Eridu, Larsa, Lagash and Nina.

The current marsh dwellers are our only link with this rich cultural past. Following the end of the Gulf War in 1991, the marsh dwellers were important elements in the uprising against Saddam Hussein’s regime. To end the rebellion, the regime implemented an intensive system of drainage and water diversion structures that desiccated over 90% of the marshes. The reed beds were also burned and poison introduced to the waters. It is estimated that more than 500,000 were displaced, 95,000 of them to Iran, 300,000 internally displaced, and the remainder to other countries. By January 2003, the majority of the marshes were wastelands.

Before their desiccation, the marshlands historically comprised the largest wetland ecosystem of Western Eurasia. A rare aquatic landscape in the desert, they also provided habitat for important populations of wildlife, including endemic and endangered species. The key role played by the marshlands in the intercontinental flyway of migratory birds, and in supporting coastal fisheries of the Persian Gulf, endows them with a truly global dimension. The impacts of marshland desiccation on wildlife was devastating. Several endemic species of mammals, birds, and fishes may have become extinct. The marshlands’ disappearance as a key wintering and staging site in the intercontinental migration of birds placed an estimated forty species of birds at risk and caused significant reductions in their populations. Fisheries in the marshlands disappeared, and Gulf fisheries, dependent on the marshland habitat for spawning migrations and nursery grounds, also experienced significant reductions. Ecosystem damage extended to the Shatt al-Arab and the Persian Gulf.

In May 2003, water began to return to the marshlands through the actions of local marsh dwellers and Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources. As of May 2004, up to 40% of the former marshlands have been reflooded. On the ground, some of the reflooded areas have experienced rapid regrowth of marshland vegetation; other areas are slowly recovering; while some reflooded areas remain barren. The recovery of the ecosystem has yet to be fully assessed. The Marsh Dwellers are also coming back, with as many as 42,000 people returning to their traditional lifestyles within the reflooded areas. Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources has declared restoration of the marshlands its highest priority, and established the Center for Restoration of the Iraqi Marshlands (CRIM). The Iraq Foundation has been working closely with the Ministry and CRIM to develop a Sustainable Restoration Plan for the marshlands. With the generous support of Italy's Ministry of the Environment and Territory, we have developed a three-year program to gather the scientific data and analyses that are necessary for sound land use planning. We hope to incorporate a participatory decision-making process that encompasses all relevant stakeholders to achieve a restoration that is ecologically and economically sustainable.

Feasibility study for a Marshlands National Park

One of several Italian Projects in Iraq is the development of a feasibility study for a national park in the marshland areas as a means to bring economic development to the area in a way that improves and protects the environment of the region.

Nature Iraq has been assisting its Italian Partners on the New Eden Team with the collection of data on the study area in the Central Marshes. The study area for the park was determined over the course of several meetings between the New Eden Team and the Ministries of Environment, Water Resources and Municipalities and Public Works. From an original short list of six sites spread throughout southern Iraq , it was mutually agreed between the participants that the Central Marsh and Abu Zirig Marsh would be the focus of the feasibility study.

The site was chosen due to the fact that it has a central location within the marshlands; it is well connected to the transportation system; it has very few people currently living there (but it is a goal that economic opportunities provided by the park would attract people back to the area); and it would be possible to expand the park in the future. In addition, Chubayish, the main urban center of the area, has a high cultural and historic value for the Marshes and will play an important role in the recovery of the Marshlands, and a marshland research center is planned to be built close to the city.

The study defines the implementation of development and management strategies in the Park’s territory, taking into account the results of the consultation process with the local population, and focuses in particular on:

¨A detailed description of the territory, focusing on the main features that characterize the study area (territorial framework, hydrological regime, water quality, natural habitat conditions, flora and fauna, socio-economic framework)

¨guidelines and criteria for actions on flora, fauna and natural environment;

¨regulations, public and private land use, implementation rules;

¨accessibility (access points, paths, facilities);

¨facilities and provisions for the management and the social functions of the Park (conference rooms, museums, tourist offices, information offices, educational facilities, services).

In December 2006 the New Eden Team conducted a training course with the assistance of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature for Ministry & Nature Iraq Staff. The training on management of parks and protected areas was held at RSCN’s Azraq Reserve, the only Marshland reserve in Jordan . A variety of management tools were presented and discussed with the Iraqi trainees and they had an opportunity to examine the management plan for the Azraq Reserve.

The primary objective of the Mesopotamian Marshland National Park is the restoration of the marshland ecosystem and the species that live there. It is also an important objective to create opportunities for education, scientific research and monitoring.

But a key objective of such a park is the eventual development of sustainable tourism for the area, encouraging and developing diverse economic activities that integrate well with the Park and helping to maintain the cultural heritage of the region. The Italian trainers brought with them the example of a regional park developed on the Po River Delta. Originally resisted by local residents, this regional park has proved to be a huge attraction in the area and the local economy has improved as a result of its presence. Now communities outside the Park boundary ask to be included.

These and other examples can show Iraqis that there is value in improving and protecting the Marshlands and developing the region in a sustainable fashion. But in the end, this is only a feasibility project and it will be only the Iraqis themselves, once security in the area is re-established, who can make it a reality.

Dr. Suzie Alwash
Senior Project Advisor
e-mail: suzie@alwash.net

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