THE 鈥淕arden of Eden鈥� has been saved, even as chaos grows all around. Last week, amid a , Iraq鈥檚 Council of Ministers found time to approve the creation of the country鈥檚 first national park 鈥� the centrepiece of a remarkable restoration of the Mesopotamian marshes in the south of the country.
This vast wetland of reed beds and waterways, home of the Ma鈥檇an Marsh Arabs, is widely held to be the home of the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden, the paradise where Adam and Eve were created and from which they were subsequently expelled.
After the Gulf war in 1991, Iraq鈥檚 president, Saddam Hussain, used dykes, sluices and diversions to cut off the country鈥檚 two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. This drained 93 per cent of the marshes, largely obliterating the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East.
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The purpose was to expel the rebellious Ma鈥檇an, but in the end, it sped Saddam鈥檚 downfall in 2003. Invading US tanks were able to drive north over the desert he had created and enter Baghdad far more easily. The Ma鈥檇an later returned and broke the dykes. Water returned to some areas, as did the reed beds that sustained the birdlife and water buffalo.
Conservationists have been amazed that, despite the disappearance for many years of most of the marsh, every species survived. All 278 recorded bird species remain, including the endemic Basra reed warbler and Iraq babbler. 鈥淭hey had hung on in small spots. When the water spread again, so did the birds,鈥� says Richard Porter of . 鈥淚t shows how resilient nature can be, and gives hope that other lost wetlands can be restored.鈥�
聯Despite the disappearance of most of the marsh for many years, every species survived聰
But it鈥檚 not quite paradise regained. 鈥淲hile some patches returned, others did not,鈥� says Mudhafar Salim, chief ornithologist for , the NGO that led the campaign for the park鈥檚 creation.
The main issue now is the hydro-politics of the region. Syria, Turkey and Iran, Iraq鈥檚 upstream neighbours, are increasingly restricting the flows of the Tigris and Euphrates. In response, Nature Iraq has persuaded the Iraqi government to construct an embankment to enable water flow in the Euphrates to be diverted onto the marshes in spring, recreating the strong 鈥減ulse鈥� of water that is essential to its ecological cycles. Last year, 76 per cent of the potentially restorable marshland flooded.
鈥淒eclaring a park isn鈥檛 just a bit of paper,鈥� says Nature Iraq鈥檚 founder, engineer Azzam Alwash. 鈥淚t will mean we can reserve a percentage of the water from the rivers for the marshes.鈥�
Salim adds: 鈥淗aving a stable share of the water should allow the number of birds and other creatures to reach levels even greater than in the 1970s.鈥�
But in the long run, the marshes can only be protected if there is an international agreement on water-sharing, Alwash says. And managing the park itself will require money. He hopes tourists will pay, though they are unlikely to be flooding in just yet.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淕arden of Eden safe as Iraq national park鈥�
