Mon, Apr 29, 2013 -
In 2001, the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) alerted the international
community to the destruction of the marshlands
when it released satellite images showing
that 90 percent of the ecosystem had been
lost.
Nairobi, 29 April 2013
- An environmental activist from Iraq has
picked up a major international award for
his efforts to restore the country's Mesopotamian
Marshlands; an ecosystem of global importance
considered by some to be the original biblical
'Garden of Eden', and the focus of a key
UNEP initiative from 2003 to 2006.
FURTHER RESOURCES
UNEP studies and initiatives relating to
the Mesopotamian Marshlands
Mr. Azzam Alwash was awarded the 2013 Goldman
Environmental Prize for his longstanding
commitment to supporting the recovery of
the marshlands, which suffered major damage
in the late 20th century due to the construction
of dams on upstream river systems, and a
massive drainage operation by the former
Iraqi regime.
In 2001, the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) alerted the international
community to the destruction of the marshlands
when it released satellite images showing
that 90 percent of the ecosystem had been
lost.
The UNEP study identified
ecological damage to the wetlands, with
the accompanying displacement of much of
the indigenous Marsh Arab community as one
of Iraq's major environmental and humanitarian
emergencies.
A civil engineer by
training, Azzam Alwash returned to Iraq
from the USA in 2003 and was shocked to
witness the extent of the damage to the
abundant marshlands he remembered from his
youth.
He built on his professional
experience in hydraulic engineering to survey
the region and to develop a plan to restore
the critical ecosystem. After founding the
non-profit organization Nature Iraq in 2004,
Alwash worked with Iraq's environment and
water resource ministries to promote the
environmental, social and economic benefits
of restoring the marshlands.
He continues to raise
awareness among the national government
and civil society for the need to support
Iraq's environment and key habitats.
"The Mesopotamian
marshes are starting to flourish again as
a result of Azzam Alwash's advocacy,"
reads a profile on the Goldman Environmental
Prize website.
"Almost half of
the original area is now flooded again.
In what is perhaps the most telling evidence
of his success, the restored marshes are
slated to be established as the country's
first national park in the spring of 2013."
UNEP subsequently launched
a major initiative - sponsored by the Government
of Japan - to support the sustainable development
and restoration of the Iraqi Marshlands
through the use of environmentally sound
technologies.
UNEP designed and coordinated
the implementation of the Iraqi Marshlands
Observation System to monitor the re-flooding
and re-establishment of wetland vegetation
in a systematic and scientific manner. The
initiative also saw the provision of safe
drinking water and sanitation systems to
up to 22,000 people in six pilot communities.
"Efforts by activists
such as Azzam Alwash, together with ongoing
work by the United Nations, the Iraqi government,
and international partners, are playing
a vital role in restoring the resilience
of the marshlands which were seriously weakened
over the past 30 years," said Hassan
Partow, Senior Environmental Expert at UNEP's
Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch.
"To tackle future
challenges, such as climate change and the
unregulated construction of dams, renewed
commitment for a regional watershed based
solution is essential to restore this critical
ecosystem to its former glory, and ensure
that local communities benefit from healthy,
productive wetlands," he added.
