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26 Aug, 2011

UN underlines importance of sustainable use of Iraqi Marshlands as water resource

Marshlands in Iraq must be managed in a manner that balances the various benefits derived from the ecosystems, including food and clean water for the country’s people, as well as climate control, according to a United Nations report released today.

Since the 1970s, more than 90 per cent of the original Iraqi Marshlands area has been desiccated through the combined actions of upstream damming and systematic draining. As a result, by 2000, the only remaining marsh was a portion of Al-Hawizeh on the southern border with Iran, according to the report, entitled Managing Change in the Marshlands: Iraq’s Critical Challenge.

via UN underlines importance of sustainable use of Iraqi Marshlands as water resource.