By John Lee. The Center for the Revitalization of the Iraqi Marshes and Wetlands, which is part of the Ministry of Water Resources, has made a plan to reduce the effects water scarcity on the Iraqi Marshes. The Director-General of the Marsh Revitalization Center, Engineer Hussein Ali Al-Kinani, said the Marshes were affected by the
Water, conservation and human rights are inseparable in the Iraq’s marshlands: A call for action on World Wetlands Day [EN/AR/KU]
Format
Baghdad, 02 February 2021 – Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which aims to protect water, livelihoods and wetlands. In 2008, Iraq ratified the Convention designating four wetlands of international importance in southern Iraq: Central Marshes (Dhi Qar and Basra governorates), Hammar Marsh (Dhi Qar and Basra governorates), Hawizeh Marsh (Basra, Missan governorates and Iran) and Sawa Lake (Muthanna Governorate). Wetlands are land areas that are saturated or flooded with water either permanently or seasonally. The Iraqi Marshlands used to be one of the largest wetland ecosystems. A rare aquatic landscape in the desert, the Iraqi marshlands were listed in 2016 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.