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Ecocide and Renewal in Iraq's Marshlands

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Ecocide and Renewal in Iraq's Marshlands Ending the Silence BY TOVA FLEMING & DR. MICHELLE ST EVEN S Photo of wild hogs in foreground and reed dwellings in the distance by Nik Wheeler Photo of wild hogs in foreground and reed dwellings the distance by Nik Ecocide and Renewal in Iraq’s Mashlands oisy fans carve paths of relief through the hot dominate the majority of images, women in black wail thick midsummer air of a classroom at the in grief, men scream into cameras, and children stare University of Barcelona. Small paper make- with eyes that appear much older than their years. shift fans flutter like migrating butterflies The intellectual blackout imposed by the Baathist re- Nacross the rows of tables as thirteen Iraqi scientists from gime, in combination with the Western media’s portray- the Basra Marine Science Center, University of Basra, al of the Middle East, obscures a vibrant and passionate Iraq, prepare to present their research on the Mesopota- people with a rich cultural and ecological history as well mian Marshes, Shatt al Arab River, and Gulf to a group as an ecological crisis of tragic proportions occurring of international peers who have convened at the World throughout the Tigris and Euphrates watersheds. The Congress for Middle Eastern Studies, July, 2010. media distortion also conceals the people trying to save This is the first time these scientists have had a chance the Tigris, Euphrates, and Mesopotamian Marshes. to present their research to an international audience. Surrounded by desert to the west and south, the Tigris “Scientists in Iraq have been living in a blackout for thir- and Euphrates Rivers bring life to the Mesopotamian re- ty years because of the gion, and an abundance dictatorship. They are of greenery and diversity starved for dialogue to the Iraqi landscape. As with the internation- the rivers begin to con- al community,” said verge in southern Iraq, Raida Fahmi, Chair of they create a system of Hima Mesopotamia’s interconnected lakes, Board of Directors. mudflats, and wetlands In addition to the that historically covered isolation of Iraqis from over 5,790 square miles the rest of the world, (15,000 km2), an area the Western media has twice the size of the Ev- played a role in dis- erglades. This complex tancing and distorting and diverse ecosystem our perception of the makes up the al Ahwar Iraqi people and land- marshes— it is the largest scape. Search images Photo of Ma’dan community in 1974 by Nik Wheeler system of wetlands in the of Iraq on the internet and you will find a landscape Middle East and Western Eurasia. with no horizon save crumbling buildings. The earth The marshlands support a dazzling array of wildlife in- and sky are draped a shroud of beige. American soldiers cluding one to ten million wintering waterfowl (approx- 20 imately two-thirds of the western Asian population), tens of centuries. There is no doubt that the the Euphrates soft shelled turtle, and the endangered people desperately want their environment endemic Basra reed warbler. The marshes provide an to return to its natural state … All the people economically important fishery and a spawning ground dream of is the marshes full with fishes, birds, for migratory fish and shrimp species that come to the cows, and buffalos with modernized passage- marshes from the Gulf to breed, as well as an ancient ways and islands, because it is this vision that and vibrant culture. is in harmony with their spiritual heritages as Theologians believe the Mesopotamia Marshes are found in their songs, poems, and tales. the site of the Garden of Eden. They are the birthplace of the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, The Marsh Arabs have become an integral part of the and Islam. When healthy the marshes sequester carbon, ecosystem through their management of the ecosystem prevent the dust storms now devastating air quality and over thousands of years. Traditionally, their homes float- exacerbating health issues, bring essential nutrients to ed on carefully crafted islands made of reeds; the struc- the marine environment, and support a traditional cul- ture and craftsmanship of the homes date back to the ture with roots dating back 3000 years. Additionally, the time of the Sumerians. Water buffalo are a cultural icon marshes support the agricultural production of dates, and keystone species of the ecosystem; they are vital for millet, rice and wheat. survival for the Ma’dan culture. This traditionally managed landscape spans the border During the 1980’s the marshes became a battleground between southern Iraq and Iran and is home to 350,000 of the Iran-Iraq war. In 1991, in an act of cultural geno- to 500,000 Ma’dan, or Marsh Arabs. These predomi- cide and ecocide, Saddam Hussein’s regime drained 90% nantly Shi’ite Ma’dan do not necessarily see themselves of the marshes in an attempt to flush out resistant fac- as part of the arbitrary borders of political boundaries, tions believed to be taking refuge in the marshes; the but as belonging to the marshes themselves. Dr. Mi- United Nations Environmental Program proclaimed it to chelle Stevens interviewed some of the Ma’dan that fled be “one of the world’s greatest environmental disasters”. Iraq to San Diego and recorded their thoughts on the The Ma’dan were forced to flee. They became environ- relationship with the marshes: ”We grow like a bird in mental refugees squatting on land they held no claim the marsh. Everything is in front of us. We canoe inside to. Finally, with the fall of Saddam Hussein the Ma’dan the marshes for reeds, for the animals and for fish…the began returning home with their water buffalo as locals marshes are like our body, our blood. You cannot miss began reflooding the marshes, haphazardly breaking one part. It all should stay as marsh.” down the dikes and dams. In 2003-2005, Iraq had good In the Marsh Arab culture, nature and culture are inex- water years and local restoration resulted in the rehydra- tricably intertwined. The Iraqi poet, Dr. Rasheed Bander tion of up to 60% of the marshlands. In some areas fish al-Khayoun spoke of the potency of this relationship: and reeds recovered quickly; however, according to the article “The Restoration Potential of the Mesopotamian The people of al Ahwar need water in the Marshes of Iraq” published in Science, 2005 by C.J. Rich- marshes … Their spiritual need surpasses the ardson and colleagues, only 10% of the newly flooded material need, since draining the marshes areas were functioning as healthy wetland systems. means putting the boats out of service and an end to regional poetry specific to al-Ahwar, The marshes can be geographically broken up into and to singing, which can only be performed three areas. The Hammar marsh lies to the south and in that theatre of water and reeds and rushes. west of the Euphrates, the Central marsh is located be- Indeed, draining the marshes means the death tween the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the Hawizeh of a way of life that people have practiced for marsh is found to the east of the Tigris and is fed both by The Tigris River 21 the confluence of Tigris and the Karkeh River that runs restore and preserve the biodiversity and long lasting through Iran. In October 2008, the Haweizeh marsh was cultural heritage of this region”. added to the List of Ramsar Wetlands of International Additionally, Dr. Ali Malik, Director of the Basra Marine Importance. The same year Iran began diverting water Science Center (BMSC), and Dr. Adil Yousif al- Handal from the Karkheh River, drying this spectacular marsh. (BMSC) asked Stevens to help them organize a confer- In fact, water diversions in Turkey, Syria, and Iran ence outside of Iraq to inform the international com- coupled with several years of drought are devastating munity on emergency freshwater scarcity for the people the Marshes and the Iraqi people at large. Last summer and marshes of southern Iraq. “We want the world to hydroelectric plants along the Euphrates were forced to hear our voice,” said Dr. Yousif, “We held several con- shut down, leaving people with no electricity in tem- ferences in Iraq about the marsh problem but these re- peratures as high as 135 degrees Fahrenheit. A recent ar- mained local, and no one outside Iraq could know about ticle in Radio Free Europe noted that according to, Aoun it, we have very bad contact with the outside world due Dhiab, the Director of the National Center for Water Re- to the ongoing situation.” sources, [Iraq], … “the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are ‘in In response, Dr. Stevens contacted Matthew Hall and a dire state,’ especially the Euphrates, ‘which has been Tony Miller (Centre for Middle Eastern Plants, Royal Bo- reduced to a mere creek due to insufficient quantities of tanic Garden Edinburgh), organizers for the World Con- water released by Turkey and Syria.’" Additionally, the gress for Middle Eastern Studies, Barcelona (WOCMES), UN recently released a report that the Tigris and Euphra- Spain 2010, to arrange two symposia featuring the work tes could be completely dry by 2040. of ten Iraqi scientists on biodiversity. Reduced flows to the Shatt al Arab River (created by The call for international help from the Iraqi scientists the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers) have and the organizing of the two symposia prompted the resulted in a decrease of nutrients available to marine formation of the non-profit Hima Mesopotamia: Water life and fisheries. Additionally, the reduction of fresh wa- and Peace in the Middle East. Stevens organized round- ter flows allowed the intrusion of salt water into the riv- table discussion at WOCMES to discover the best role for ers as far north as Basra.
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