The United Nations described the draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes as a “tragic human and environmental catastrophe” – on a par with the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. ... An ultimate goal of this project is to document the spatial and temporal variations in LCLUC over the entire Mesopotamian marshes over the past four decades and throughout the duration of the project as well (2004-2006). 20,000 square kilometers (km 2, 3.7-4.9 million acres) of interconnected lakes, mud- . To compete and thrive in the 21st century, democracies, and the United States in particular, must develop new national security and economic strategies that address the geopolitics of information. Findings of the international technical advisory panel restoration planning workshop. But by the end of Saddam's rule, satellite imaging revealed that only 3 percent of the Central Marsh and 14.5 percent of the Al-Hammar Marsh -- nearest the gulf -- remained intact. conference on return of arabs to the mesopotamian marshes. Water availability is still constraining both marshland restoration and the oil industry. The iconic Mesopotamian Marshlands in Iraq, often referred to as the ‘Garden of Eden’, also contain the giant Majnoon oil fields. However, since his overthrow, a remarkable effort has begun to restore these Mesopotamian Marshes, among the most important wetland habitat in the world. Restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshes, Iraq Title: Case study: Cultural and ecological restoration of the al-Ahwar wetlands, Iraq Author: Dr. Michelle L. Stevens, California State University at Sacramento, Environmental Studies Department, Amador Hall 555B, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95819 The EDEN AGAIN project included development of a hydrologic model of the marshes to determine the quantity of water necessary to restore various areas of the marshlands. Fed by floodwaters 2 and other … flats and wetlands. The wetlands were severely damaged by past drainage and warfare. The Iraq Foundation, with funding by the U.S. Department of State, undertook a project to determine a viable method of restoring the Mesopotamian Marshlands in 2003. The Mesopotamian Marshes of southern Iraq and Iran are the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East and ... Building a scientific basis for restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshlands. The Mesopotamian Marshes, kind of three distinct basins in south east Iraq, are a place where Iraqi`s used to go when they had trouble with the man... a kind of outlaws paradise, perhaps a Gangsters Paradise, Mess-o-potamia style...and the longer I live, the more I appreciate these little repositories of human wilderness, lawless perhaps, but often with a bit of their own honor. The Mesopotamian Marshes from Disintegration to Restoration. One man is leading the way, attempting to rejuvenate the marshes and bring back the diversity of animals and plants that once lived there. 1 (See Figure 1.) At the time, many conservationists said that destroying the marshes, which act as a giant carbon sink, was an irreversible environmental crime. The Iraq Marshes: Restoration Activities Introduction to the Iraq Marshes The Mesopotamian Marshlands, which include the Central Marsh, the Al Hammar Marsh, and the Al Hawizeh Marsh, historically extended over 15,000 to . From mid-1970 to early-1990, the whole marsh area was influenced by water shortage and desiccation processes. The Mesopotamian marshes of southern Iraq (30° to 33°N, 45° to 48°E) are considered by many to be the “cradle of western civilization” and are often referred to as the Garden of Eden (1, 2).Their ecological and cultural value derive from their large expanse of wetland habitat in southwest Asia, once covering nearly 15,000 km 2 (3, 4) (). 2009. Muir, J. Salinization becomes a very serious problem affecting the restoration assessment of the newly re-flooded marshes of the Mesopotamian southern Iraq. The Mesopotamian marshes are subdivided into three marshland areas. Nestled in the flood plains between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Mesopotamian (literally meaning “land between two rivers”) Marshes of Iraq are the largest wetlands in the Middle East. Iraq marshes face grave new threat.