Central Marshes

The Central Marshes lie in southern Iraq between Nasiriyah, Al-'Uzair and Al-Qurnah, and form one of the three marsh zones of the Mesopotamian Marshes alongside the Hawizeh and Hammar marshes^[1]. The UNESCO-listed area covers 62,435 ha with an 83,958 ha buffer zone^[1].

The marshes support breeding Basra reed-warblers and marbled teal, along with several non-breeding bird species^[1]. The Levant darter and the maxwelli subspecies of the smooth-coated otter were feared lost, but small threatened populations of both remain, while Bunn's short-tailed bandicoot rat, known only from this area, is feared extinct^[1].

The vegetation is dominated by tall qasab reeds (Phragmites), which cover much of the open marsh^[1].

The marshes occupy a low floodplain of the Tigris and its distributaries, the Shatt al-Muminah and Majar al-Kabir^[1]. Freshwater lakes such as Haur az-Zikri and Umm al-Binni lie within the system^[1].

The marshes depend on river inflow rather than local rainfall; they are drained by the partly artificial Prosperity Canal and the Glory River^[1]. Southern Iraq has very hot, dry summers.

The area was home to the Marsh Arabs, or Ma'dan, who grazed buffalo on the natural vegetation and grew rice^[1]. After the 1991 uprisings the government built embankments and drainage works that cut off the marsh's water supply^[1].

The Central Marshes were designated a Ramsar wetland on 7 April 2014 (site no. 2241) and in 2016 were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Ahwar of Southern Iraq^[1].

The main features are the reed-fringed lakes and channels between Nasiriyah and Al-Qurnah, and the marsh villages of the Ma'dan^[1].

The marshes are reached from the towns of Nasiriyah and Al-Qurnah on their margins^[1].

Drainage and water diversion destroyed about two-thirds of the marshes by 1993, and the UNEP estimated that 90% had disappeared by 2000^[1]. After the 2003 invasion embankments were breached and the marshes began to refill, but recovery here has lagged behind the Hawizeh and Hammar marshes and the most damaged sections show no sign of regeneration^[1].