Here's an awesome article on Iraq's marshlands. For anyone who doesn't know, Southern Iraq is the home of an enormous marshland that is possibly the site of the Garden of Eden. At its zenith, the marshland was some 20,000 sq. Km and contained a large array of fish, water fowl, as well as a large assortment of mammals. While Saddam would reduce the marshlands to 1400 sq. Km through various dikes and dams as an act of punishment against the Shia Marsh Arabs who participated in failed uprisings. Based on a report to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the marshland is re-emerging through the destruction of the dams along with help from USAID. While the marshland will never reach the 20,000 sq. Km, study leader, Professor Curtis Richardson of Duke University, says that some 30% of the wetlands could be restored. It makes you happy to know that the marshlands persevered in the end much like the people of Iraq have. I think Prof. Richardson put an exclamation point on the rebirth of Iraq when he noted:
"Immediately after [the overthrow of Saddam] we saw just a dozen birds in the marshes," Prof Richardson said. "A year later, there were hundreds and now they are talking about many thousands."
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