Consolidated Management Plan of The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities Property Nominated by the Government of Iraq in January 2014 for Inscription on the World Heritage List This document was developed by Khaled Allam Harhash, Geraldine Chatelard, Sami el-Masri and Gaetano Palumbo assisted by Qahtan Al Abeed, Hussein Al Assadi, Salim Khalaf Anid, Ayad Kadhum Dawood, Ali Kadhem Ghanem, Ahmad Hanun, Mudhafar Salim, and Ali Ubaid Shalgham. The management plan preparation was led by IUCN-ROWA and ARC-WH in the framework of the UNEP-UNESCO joint initiative “World Heritage inscription process as a tool to enhance the natural and cultural management of the Iraqi Marshlands.” This multiphase capacity-building project was managed by UNEP-DTIE-IETC and subsequently UNEP-ROWA, in collaboration with UNESCO Iraq Office, and received generous funding from the Governments of Japan and Italy. This Consolidated Management Plan completes the basic Management Planning Frameworks for the natural and cultural components of the property submitted to the World Heritage Centre in January 2014 with the nomination dossier of The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities. A substantial consultation process was conducted to insure that the provisions of this Consolidated Management Plan are issued from and shared with the concerned stakeholders. Gratitude is conveyed to Diane Klaimi at UNEP-ROWA, Fadi Shraideh and Hany El-Shaer at IUCN-ROWA, together with Mounir Bouchenaki, Khalifa Al Khalifa, Kamal Bitar and Haifaa Abdulhalim at ARC-WH for their administrative and/or technical support during the management plan preparation phase. Thanks are also extended to Franco d'Agostino and Margarete Van Ess for providing valuable information and documentation on the cultural components of the property. Special credits are due to Dr Ali Al-Lami who spearheaded the national endeavour to nominate the Marshlands on the World Heritage List, to the Iraqi natural and cultural experts who prepared the nomination dossier for the property and the initial Management Planning Frameworks, to the regional and international experts who supported them, and to the staff of UNEP-DTIE-IETC and UNESCO Iraq Office who oversaw the capacity-building programme. Their names are listed in full in the World Heritage nomination dossier. CONTENTS Acronyms PART I. Strategic Management Framework of the Property PART II – Management Plans of the Natural Component Parts Part III. Management Plans of the Cultural Component Parts ACRONYMS AHD Antiquity and Heritage Directorate ARC-WH Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CMT Central Management Team CRIMW Centre for the Restoration of the Iraqi Marshlands and Wetlands GoI Government of Iraq IBA Important Bird Area IPA Important Plant Area IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature KBA Key Biodiversity Areas MoA Ministry of Agriculture MoC Ministry of Culture MoE Ministry of Environment MoEd Ministry of Education MoF Ministry of Finance MoFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs MoH Ministry of Health MoHESR Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research MoI Ministry of Interior MoMPW Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works MoO Ministry of Oil MoP Ministry of Planning MoLSA Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs MoST Ministry of Science and Technology MoTA Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities MoU Memorandum of Understanding MoWR Ministry of Water Resources NCWH National Committee for World Heritage NGO Non-Governmental Organization NSCPA National Steering Committee for Protected Areas OGWHC Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (2013) 1 | P a g e OUV Outstanding Universal Value ROWA Regional Office for West Asia SBAH State Board of Antiquities and Heritage SMT Site Management Team TTA Team of Technical Advisers UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNEP-DTIE-IETC UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics – International Environmental Technology Centre UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization WWF World Wide Fund for Nature 2 | P a g e PART I. Strategic Management Framework of The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities Property Nominated by the Government of Iraq in January 2014 for Inscription on the World Heritage List 3 | P a g e CONTENTS Section I. Key Messages Section II. Purpose of the Strategic Management Framework Section III. General Overview of the Property Section IV. Significance and Proposed Outstanding Universal Value Section V. Integrity and Authenticity Section VI. Threats to the Conservation of the Property Section VII. Legal and Institutional Foundations for the Management of the Property Section VIII. Overarching Management System of the Property Section IX. Vision, Goals and Strategic Objectives Section X. Operational Objectives and Timeframe Section XI. Reporting Mechanism Section XII. Resource Mobilization 4 | P a g e Section I. Key Messages In January 2014, the Government of Iraq submitted to the World Heritage Committee a property under the name The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities for inscription on the World Heritage List. The property contains mixed natural and cultural heritage , and comprises seven separate component parts: four marsh areas (the West Hammar, East Hammar, Central Marshes and Huweizah Marshes), and three large archaeological sites (Ur, Uruk and Eridu). The marsh areas contain substantial cultural values in the form of 45 smaller archaeological sites. They are also the environment within which the specific culture and lifestyle of the marsh inhabitants developed. All together, the seven components of the property extend over the governorates of Dhi Qar, Maysan, Basrah and Muthanna over a total area of about 2,110,000 dunum . The buffer zone comprises an additional 2,080,000 dunum. Gaining inscription on the World Heritage List, the most prestigious international designation for a heritage site, is a highly demanding and competitive process. Iraq as a State Party to the World Heritage Convention must provide convincing arguments about the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property. The country must also make very serious commitments regarding the protection and conservation of what constitutes the OUV of the property. The Ahwar of Southern Iraq is a complex property combining a unique wetland ecosystem and living human culture within a very dry area with the exceptional historical value of some of the most important Sumerian cities. There is little doubt that the property is of global significance . However this property is fragile as it faces many threats including the operation and construction of upstream dams, in Iraq and in neighbouring countries, the development of the oil industry and mining throughout the South of Iraq, agricultural expansion and other development pressures, wind and water erosion for the archaeological sites, and the poor level of socio-economic development of local communities. Inscription on the World Heritage List can ensure international support for the conservation efforts carried out by the Government of Iraq, and for local socio-economic development programme implemented by national and local authorities. It will also provide a strong leverage for the Government of Iraq in regional negotiations for water allocation with upstream neighbours. It will finally constitute a powerful argument to convince international oil companies to be socially and environmentally responsible. Yet the strongest commitments for the protection and conservation of the natural and cultural values of The Ahwar of Southern Iraq must come from inside Iraq: the national government, local governments and authorities, the private and non-governmental sectors, academics and researchers, the media, and most importantly the communities living in and around the property. This is why great care was taken to develop a management system for the property allowing all stakeholders to play an active and positive role in the protection and conservation of this natural and cultural gem. 5 | P a g e Section II. Purpose and Scope of the Strategic Management Framework As part of the process of enhancing the management of the seven components of the serial property, management plans for each component were prepared in 2014-2015. The plans were developed by national expert, supported by international experts, and through a consultation process with institutional and civil society stakeholders at the local and national levels. They include specific information on the key values and attributes of each component, and a set of actions addressing protection and conservation issues. These plans are included in Part II (Management Plans of the Natural Component Parts) and Part III (Management Plans of the Cultural Component Parts) of the Consolidated Management Plan and are the main references for the day-to-day management of the different components of the property. The overall Strategic Management Framework provides for an integrated approach to the management of the property as a whole. It constitutes an overarching scheme to guide, harmonize and coordinate the work of the main agencies involved in the management of the different components of the property along the individual management plans. Specifically, the Strategic Management Framework: • Recalls