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July 20, 2016

Iraqi Marshes Named UNESCO World Heritage Site
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Iraq's southern wetlands, thought by some to be the biblical Garden of
Eden, have been named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Saddam Hussein
dammed and drained the marshes in the 1990s to flush out rebels hiding
in the reeds. After the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, locals destroyed dams
to let water back in, restoring the marsh ecosystem within a few years.
Many of the marshes' inhabitants are subsistence fishermen, and the area
is an important stop for migratory birds. The marshes are, however, once
more threatened by new dams in Turkey and Iran, as well as by climate
change.
Topics:Iraq

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