Marshes Of Southern Iraq Research Articles

Habitat mapping project of the proposed Iraqi Marshlands National Park area

New ecological surveys in support of the creation of the proposed Iraqi Marshlands National Park were undertaken by Nature Iraq in June 2008 at the Central Marshes in southern Iraq. Surveys that occurred in two focal areas - Al Chibaish Marsh (10 sites) and Abu Zirig Marsh (two sites) - were supported by a preliminary land cover survey in November 2007. Satellite images from 2007 for the Central Marshes were acquired to support creation of maps. The “Iraqi Marshlands Habitat Classiffcation System” based on vegetation types has been developed to inventory habitats in these marshlands and to develop a methodology for application elsewhere in Iraq. Six habitat classes (inland running water, river or canal; inland standing water; marsh vegetation; desert; woodlands; and herbaceous vegetation) are included in this classification system, each of which is divided into several subclasses. The dominant habitat subclasses in the Central Marshes study area are: (1) rooted submerged vegetation, (2) helophytic vegetation (reed bed or reed mace bed), (3) free-floating vegetation, (4) terrestrial vegetation-shrub, (5) unvegetated river or canal, (6) unvegetated desert, and (7) flooded communities. This paper constitutes a review of the progress in developing this habitat classification system that remains under development.

The Plight of the Marsh Arabs, an Environmental and Human Rights Crisis

Saddam Hussein's calculated destruction of the marshes of southern Iraq had an overwhelming impact on the marsh ecosystem, the physical environment, and its inhabitants. Hussein succeeded in disrupting the 5000-year-old culture of the Marsh Arabs, severely affecting the health and well-being of this unique culture. Complexity science provides a foundation that supports an appreciation of the effects that changes in environment and climate have on health. Application of a complexity model provides guidance for understanding the intricate networks of connectivity among the components of the ecological system of the marshes of Southern Iraq that is necessary for restoration efforts.

Marshes in Southern Iraq: Photographed by Dr Alex Paton

Marshes in Southern Iraq: Photographed by Dr Alex Paton

Viewing the past: Ethnoarchaeology at al‐Hiba

An ethnoarchaeological project at al‐Hiba on the edge of the marshes in southern Iraq examines some of the ways that ethnoarchaeological evidence enriches conventional ideas of the relation between behavior and material remains, of the interpretation of materials in the archaeological record and of both the process and nature of change. The author stresses the importance of the visual in recording and understanding ethnographic detail and believes that only long‐term, intensive observation can protect us from pur own preconceptions, the pitfalls of relying on biased, ignorant, or culture‐protective informants or the danger of questionnaires which are too easily manipulated by intention or accident.

The Marshes of Southern Iraq

The Marshes of Southern Iraq