In 2016 the Iraqi Marshes were inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Ahwar. Each year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee reviews reports on the state of conservation of the property and follows up with the State Party of Iraq in case it is not properly managed. Iraq’s 2020 State of...
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) embarked on a new research programme in December 2018 to investigate internal displacement associated with slow-onset environmental change. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the IDMC is one of the world’s most important sources of data and analysis on internal displacement. In February 2020 it published a report exploring the displacement...
On 27 July 2019, the Alamara Council for Social Cohesion held a joint session with the Environment and Water masar (Path) of the Iraqi Social Forum to discuss issues relating to the environment and tourism in the city of Amara in Maysan Province. The session opened with an introduction to the work of the Council:...
With the filling of the Ilisu Dam reservoir imminent, the annual session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Baku, Azerbaijan was an important opportunity to address the key threats to the Iraqi Marshes with policymakers. Minimum water flows to the heritage site have not been met in the past 2 years. Since dam...
Commentary by Josh Klemm on 1 July 2019 for Mongabay This July represents a critical opportunity to protect rivers and the World Heritage sites that depend on them. Key government leaders will converge on Baku, Azerbaijan for the 43rd annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee this week. Established under the auspices of the United...
Press Statement by Save the Tigris Campaign The following resolution submitted by Save the Tigris Campaign. was adopted by the World Heritage Watch NGO Forum prior to the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan, 30 June – 10 July 2019. The 7th International NGO Forum on World Heritage at Risk...
Asharq Al-Awsat It seems that geographic realities linking Iraq to Iran have caused inescapable problems that are compounding their turbulent political relations. Issues between Baghdad and Tehran go beyond problems of borders and oil field demarcation, extending to water supplies. Iraq accuses Iran of cutting river water flowing from its territory and thus affecting Iraqi...
Arabic | عربي Laith Alobaidi – Nature Iraq / Humat Dijlah The Hawizeh Marshes form a large part of the famous Mesopotamian marshlands and southern Iraq, east of Tigris River on the Iraqi-Iranian border, shared between Iraq and Iran with the Iranian marshes known as Hor Al-Azim. They make up the largest wetland in this...
Published by Humat Dijla, 7 August 2018 As aresult of drought and water scarcity in the marshes, fire continues to spread over large areas of al-Huwaizah Marsh in Maisan Governorate in Southern Iraq, ravaging the natural area. Environmental activist Ahmed Saleh Neema, based in Maisan, explained the fire started in the pond of Um Alneaj...
After Iraqis celebrated the inclusion of their marshes on UNESCO’s World Heritage List two years ago in July 2016, it was expected that a new stage of recovery and prosperity throughout all of the Iraqi marshlands would begin, that this international recognition would end years of neglect and resulting environmental damage. However, this hope quickly...
