As Iraqi forces retreated out of Kuwait in the first Gulf War, they destroyed many oil wells along the way, leaving a path of raging fires and spills behind them. At times, entire portions of the Persian Gulf were engulfed in flames, and the Kuwaiti terrain was ecologically devastated.
But the major ecological damage of the current war in Iraq seems already to have occurred. Iraq’s historical wetlands, the Mesopotamian marshlands, where civilization is thought to have begun, have been vanishing in the 12 years since the first Gulf War.
These wetlands did not disappear naturally.
University of Wisconsin professor of botany Joy Zelder said that in 1991 Saddam Hussein deliberately drained Iraq’s abundant marshes to rid the nation of the Marsh Arabs, a group who lived in the wetlands inside of elaborate reed huts and helped maintain the area’s ecosystem. It is speculated that the Marsh Arabs fell out of favor with Hussein and that he wanted to remove them in an attempt to modernize the country.
Hussein built canals and damns as part of a plan that successfully depleted the country of 85 percent of its natural wetlands. Poisons were used to kill many species of fish and the native water buffalo; marsh plants vanished from the area.
As many as 40,000 Marsh Arabs were forced to flee and find a new homeland. Ten thousand Iraqis remain in the marshlands, which could be restored after the U.S. replacement of Hussein’s regime by a project called “Eden Again.”
UW environmental studies professor Calvin DeWitt said the war could have a positive impact on Iraq’s environment by restoring the wetlands.
So named because Iraq’s once vast marshes are believed to be located in the same area as the biblical Garden of Eden, Eden Again is a technical advisory committee of a dozen scientists offering advice to the Iraq Foundation on how to repair the damage done by Hussein.
Zelder is a member of the advisory panel for the project. The panel will provide expert information to Iraq on the most effective ways to restore the damaged marsh ecosystem.
Zelder believes a new government structure will be beneficial to Iraq’s environment.
“Somehow, a government must take control of the environment,” Zelder said. “It’s quite sad that so many people were forced to leave their homeland. It’s not only plants and animals that have been lost, but an entire ecosystem.”
Zelder and other researchers have been working in the UW Arboretum with similar plants to those found in the Iraqi marshes. She hopes this will yield valuable clues about the restoration of Iraqi wetlands.
Despite the positive benefit of removing Hussein from power, Zelder feels the current war may create additional problems for the marsh environment. Oil spills, explosives and undetonated bombs will all have to be considered in restoration procedures.
DeWitt feels that despite localized mass destruction, the overall environment will not suffer greatly from the war. He is even hopeful that once the war ends, the environment in Iraq might actually improve.
“While there are no gains at the moment, it is possible that a new regime could help reverse the ecological damage done by the Hussein administration,” DeWitt said.
While plants and animals can overcome localized losses, his main concern was for the many historical sites in the area that are thousands of years old. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were the source of the wetlands. These river valleys were home to ancient civilizations such as Babylon.
“Flora and fauna can rebound, but archaeological artifacts, once destroyed, cannot be replaced,” DeWitt said. “Over 7,000 years of history came out of the area. This was the heart of civilizations.”
