Western Hammar

Western Hammar is the western part of the Hammar marshes south of the Euphrates, in Dhi Qar governorate near Nasiriyah^[1]. Drainage works split the Hammar wetland into two parts, and the West site covers about 79,991 ha^[1].

Surveys of the Hammar marshes recorded little egret, black-headed gull, purple heron, western marsh harrier and Iraq babbler, and mammals such as jungle cat, European otter, gray wolf and striped hyena^[1].

Main plants include hornwort, common reed, bulrush, sago pondweed and southern cattail^[1].

The marsh is a shallow, slightly brackish lowland fed mainly by the Euphrates^[1].

Reflooded waters here are saltier than typical freshwater wetlands^[1].

The main ethnic group is the Marsh Arabs; massive drainage projects from the 1990s left less than 15% of the marshes by 2000^[1].

The Hammar Marshes were designated a Ramsar wetland on 7 April 2014 and the West Hammar site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016^[1].

The Rumaila oil field acts as a barrier between the West and East parts of the wetland^[1].

Nasiriyah is the nearest city.

After the 2003 invasion returning Marsh Arabs breached the drainage works and the wetland reflooded, with recovery greater than expected; pollution, water extraction from the Euphrates and salinity are the long-term risks^[1].