Eden Again

INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS

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The following conservation organizations are playing an active role in studying, promoting and/or monitoring the restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshlands.

United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP)

UNEP has historically provided leadership and scientific expertise to the issue of the desiccation of the Mesopotamian Marshlands. In 2001, Mr. Hassan Partow prepared the report entitled "The Mesopotamian Marshlands: Demise of an Ecosystem" which can be found at http://www.grid.unep.ch/activities/sustainable/tigris/mesopotamia.pdf. This report provides an accurate, objective summary of the state of the Mesopotamian Marshlands as of 2001. Another study, the "Desk Report on the Environment in Iraq" (available at: http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/Iraq_DS.pdf) was prepared by UNEP's Post Conflict Assessment Unit in March 2003. 

In 2003, UNEP held a series of round-table discussion involving parties interested in restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshlands. Its current priorities include setting up a systematic satellite based monitoring system to assess the changes in the marshlands associated with the on-going re-flooding; promoting the use of environmentally-sensitive technologies in the marshlands; and facilitating bi-lateral dialogue and cooperation between Iran and Iraq on the shared Al-Hawizeh/Al-Azim marshlands. Mr. Hassan Partow is on Eden Again's International Technical Advisory Panel, and Eden Again has attended several of UNEP's roundtable discussions. We are currently planning a cooperative effort to integrate UNEP's satellite monitoring and the Iraq Foundation's field work to achieve a greater sense of the progress of restoration activities in the Mesopotamian Marshlands.

Birdlife International

BirdLife International is a global alliance of conservation organizations working together for the world's birds and people. In 1994, BirdLife published its report "Important Bird Areas of the Middle East" that provided essential information on the bird life and habitats within the Middle East including Iraq (summary available at: http://www.birdlife.net/action/science/sites/mideast_ibas/index.html). Birdlife also contributed to the development of the "Directory of Wetlands in the Middle East" (see description and link in Wetlands International below). BirdLife plans to send in a team of scientists to assess environmental conditions in the marshlands and in Important Bird Areas (IBAs) previously identified in Iraq, as soon as security conditions improve (see http://www.birdlife.net/news/pr/2003/04/iraq_survey.html). Mr. Mike Evans of BirdLife International is on Eden Again's International Technical Advisory Panel, and BirdLife has actively participated in UNEP's roundtable discussions and also CIDA's workshop in Jordan in June 2004.

Wetlands International

Wetlands International is a global non-profit organization dedicated solely to the crucial work of wetland conservation and sustainable management. Its mission is to sustain and restore wetlands, their resources and biodiversity for future generations through research, information exchange and conservation activities, worldwide. Wetlands International produced the book "A Directory of Wetlands in the Middle East: Iraq" available online at: http://www.wetlands.org/inventory&/MiddleEastDir/IRAQ1.htm. This report provides detailed information on the Mesopotamian Marshlands and other wetlands of Iraq.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO also helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all. The FAO maintains important data on the geography and population of Iraq that can be accessed online at: http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/aglw/aquastat/countries/iraq/main1.htm. They also have information available on the Marshland Agriculture of Iraq at: http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/agll/giahs/documents/summary_marsharabs.doc. The FAO has participated in the UNEP roundtable discussions. 

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, by ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable and by promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. WWF has previously supported studies of the Mesopotamian Marshlands and has been an active participant in UNEP's roundtable discussions. Some basic facts about the wildlife of the Mesopotamian Marshlands are provided at http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/ecoregions/global200/pages/regions/region158.htm.

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 138 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1368 wetland sites designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. Iraq is not a signatory to the Ramsar Convention, although the former Iraqi government did send observers to the Ramsar Eighth Congress of Parties (COP8) in 2002. Although Iran is a signatory to the Convention, no areas of the Mesopotamian Marshlands have been nominated to the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. Ramsar Bureau staff has attended UNEP's roundtable discussions on the Mesopotamian Marshlands.

International Conservation Organization (IUCN)

IUCN was founded in 1948 and brings together 78 states, 112 government agencies, 735 NGOs, 35 affiliates, and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. Its mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. Iraq is not a member of the IUCN. IUCN staff members have contributed to studies of the Mesopotamian Marshland with Amar Appeal, and have participated in the UNEP roundtable discussions.

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

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