Eden Again

The marshlands of southern Iraq and Iran were once the largest in western Eurasia, encompassing an area larger than the Florida Everglades. During the 1990s, a combination of upstream damming and local drainage projects resulted in their almost complete disappearance. These Mesopotamian Marshlands and their human inhabitants represent unique aspects of our cultural heritage and are vital elements of our global environmental mosaic.

The Eden Again Project was begun in 2001 by a group of Iraqi expatriates alarmed at the loss of their beloved marshlands. This website has been developed to provide more information about our project, and to educate others about the marshlands and their significance to the world. We also hope that this website will also bring together all of the organizations who are interested in restoring the marshlands and assisting the marsh dwellers to return to their native ecosystem.

Ra’ed D. Hameed
1978 to 2006

Ra’ed D. Hameed, a Nature Iraq research assistant conducting field research in the Mesopotamian marshlands, was killed in a drive-by shooting outside his home in the Al Ghazalia neighborhood of Baghdad on Sunday morning, July 23rd, 2006. Ra’ed, who received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from the University of Mustansiriya in 2003, was only 28 years old.

Ra’ed joined Nature Iraq (at that time Iraq Foundation) in March 2004 and traveled extensively for his work in the Huweizah, Qurnah (Central) and Hammar Marshlands. He was an energetic and resourceful member of the scientific team.

The families of Nature Iraq express their deepest regards and condolences to Ra’ed’s mother, four brothers and six sisters whom he has left behind.

Dr. Suzie Alwash
Senior Project Advisor
e-mail: suzie@alwash.net

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