The Canada-Iraq Marshlands Initiative

The Canada-Iraq Marshlands Initiative (www.iraqimarshlands.org) is a project that links the University of Victoria, through CFGS and the Institute for Dispute Resolution, with key university, government and tribal leaders in the southern Iraqi Marshes. The southern Iraqi Marshes are the largest wetlands in southwest Asia and have been recognized as one of the world’s most exceptional ecosystems.

Located just north of the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the Marshes are considered by many to be the cradle of civilization and, quite possibly, the site of the biblical Garden of Eden. In 1988, an estimated 500,000 people lived in the Marshes. Between 1989 and 2003 there was a deliberate draining of the wetlands by the Iraqi government that resulted in significant ecological, social and economic impacts to the region. By 2000, the surface area of the Marshlands had been reduced to 14% of its original size and the human population declined to under 100,000.

The international community and the Iraqi people have placed great emphasis on the restoration of the Iraqi Marshes as part of the overall reconstruction of Iraq. Canada is playing a major role in this effort through the CIMI project, and in addition to UVic, partners include the University of Waterloo, the Fraser Basin Council in Vancouver and various Iraqi institutions including universities, governorate councils and the Iraqi national Ministries of Water Resources and Environment.

Link to webpage: http://www.iraqimarshlands.org/