Yesterday I had the opportunity to sit in on a seminar put on by biologists studying the marshlands in Iraq. These marshlands exist around the juncture of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq and western Iran, and were once home to a large variety of organisms, and people living off the natural life there. When a group of people from the marshlands and surrounding area rebelled in the 90's, Saddam Hussein ordered the area drained, in the process killing off nearly all the life in the area and displacing a number of of people.
In the past couple years since the removal of Saddam Hussein, the marshlands have been reflooded, but the return of the original diversity, and overall natural productivity is still taking time. The biologists yesterday related studies carried out throughout the midst of the ceaseless military activity there, and comparisons to pre-flooding conditions. Most accounts described the recovery of the diversity, that is, the number of species found, at 60-80%, and in some cases up to 100%, based just on appearances of unique species. However, in terms of total biomass, that is the size and number of organisms present, full recovery is apparently still a long way off.
One of the underlying hindrances to the recovery, that wasn't readily divulged by the speakers, is that of the human impact in the area. Because of the displacement of so many peoples, and the lack of work, people are forced into hunting and fishing more than they would normally in an effort to survive, greatly retarding the rate of recovery. These biologists so dedicated to their cause that they carry out these studies in the midst of war, are torn between the survival of their own people, and the recovery of what were once one of the most diverse marshlands on the planet.
More information on the history and revitalization efforts is available:
Crimes of War
Iraq Marshlands Restoration Program
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