Hawizeh Marshes

The Hawizeh Marshes are a marsh complex straddling the Iran-Iraq border and part of the Ahwar of Southern Iraq. They cover 48,131 ha with a buffer zone of 42,561 ha^[1].

The marshes are a refuge for migrating animals and birds and for species that can recolonize or breed in other marshlands^[1]. Large birds such as pelicans, storks and herons have died after striking high-voltage power lines^[1].

Reeds grow throughout the marsh and are used to build houses^[1].

The marshes are fed by two Tigris branches, Al-Musharrah and Al-Kahla, and by the Karkheh River in Iran; the Al-Kassarah drains them, keeping them a flow-through system rather than a closed saline basin^[1].

Drying of the marshes has increased dust during strong winds^[1].

People have lived in the area for over 5,000 years, from the Sumerian and Babylonian periods onward; residents traditionally fished, hunted and farmed and lived in reed houses^[1]. The government drained the marshes in 1990-1992 and many residents left; after the 2003 invasion the flow was restored and people returned^[1].

The Hawizeh Marshes were designated a Ramsar wetland on 17 October 2007 (site no. 1718) and inscribed as part of a mixed UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016^[1].

People travel between Iraq and Iran by mashoof, a small canoe-like boat, and no border separates the marsh towns^[1].

About 5,000 marsh dwellers now live in the area, and the mashoof is the traditional way across the water^[1].

Iranian media reported plans to dry part of the wetland by drilling 32 new oil wells, and drying has caused serious harm^[1].