The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and the Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities

The construction of dams and irrigation upstream of rivers that feed the Ahwar marshes both inside Iraq and in neighbouring countries continues to contribute to water shortages in the marshes, and the World Heritage Committee has requested a basin-wide Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to assess cumulative and future impact on flows to the property. The need for effective water management including transboundary water management agreements between Iraq and upstream countries remains a core focus of state of conservation reporting under the Convention (State Party of the Republic of Iraq, 2021-2025; UNESCO, 2021-2024) and of third parties (Save the Tigris, 2024). Although transboundary management efforts continue to be implemented, dams and irrigation remain a significant concern.

The 2020 Outlook assessment noted that droughts and extreme heat cause severe shortages and shrinking of water bodies, as well as continued population pressure on natural resources. In 2025, the State Party reported a fifth consecutive year of water scarcity in the property, and the first national pilot inventory and analysis of threats indicated climate change as the most significant threat (6.75 out of 9), primarily due to its direct impact on water sources and the marshes as a fragile ecosystem of shallow water bodies highly susceptible to extreme heat and continuous evaporation (State Party of the Republic of Iraq, 2025).

In 2025, the State Party reports that the first national pilot inventory and analysis of threats to the OUV of the four marsh components identified biological resource use/modification as a threat (6 out of 9). Specifically, that the overuse of biological resources appears common in the marshes and might be due to the direct dependence of local communities in the marshes on the natural resources. Examples include fishing (trawling, netting, line fishing, game fishing, collection/ harvest fisheries, spearfishing (State Party of the Republic of Iraq, 2025).
The State Party also classifies illegal fishing as “one of the most detrimental practices affecting biodiversity” and is implementing various measures to address this including significant efforts to monitor fishing activities and raise environmental awareness, and fishing has significantly declined through the implementation of measures such as: field patrols to address violations on the main and tributary rivers supplying the property; legal cases filed against violations of unlawful fishing methods (e.g. electric shock); conducting awareness campaigns; and an interministerial committee is drafting new guidelines for utilizing water bodies in the marshlands, including partnerships with the private sector. The goal is to conserve biodiversity, enhance fish stocks in the marshes and water bodies, and regulate fishing activities to eliminate illegal fishing practices. Additionally, there is reinforcement of the annual ban on fishing; support for underprivileged communities by introducing alternative and sustainable fishing methods; Prime Ministerial instruction to prohibit illegal fishing methods such as electric shock devices and hand grenades (State Party of the Republic of Iraq, 2025).

The first national pilot inventory and analysis of threats to the OUV of the four marsh components identified invasive species (mainly invasive Tilapia Zillii fish) as the third highest threat (5.75 out of 9) (State Party of the Republic of Iraq, 2025), however further detailed information on invasive/alien species appears to be limited.

Previous assessments have noted that the Ahwar suffers from problems of liquid pollution and solid waste, as well as supplying the western Hammar component with water polluted with high concentrations of chemical and heavy metals. In addition to the direct dumping of solid and liquid wastes into rivers feeding the marshes and into the marshes themselves, water scarcity causes the surface and volume of the marshes to shrink, increasing concentrations of pollutants and affecting the production of basic nutrients in those environments (Richardson et al., 2005; Al-Saad et al., 2010; Mashkhool, 2012; Al Kazwini et al., 2013; Fawziz and Mahdi, 2014; AlMaarofi, 2015; Marghany et al., 2016; Al-Gburi et al., 2017).

In 2025, the first national pilot inventory and analysis of threats to the OUV of the four marsh components identified pollution as a threat (5.5 out of 9). Specifically, the Central Marshes component has the highest level, mainly caused by the polluted waters that feed the component and other trash especially after the tourism seasons. In West Hammar, the Main Outfall Drain (MOD) brings polluted and draining waters to the component. Less solid pollution was observed in Huweiza and East Hammar compared to the other components (State Party of the Republic of Iraq, 2025).

The current status of this threat is unclear.

The current status of this threat is unclear.

The current status of this threat is unclear.

The natural components of the property are targeted by large groups of tourists for recreational purposes, especially during mild weather. Statistics showed that the number of visitors was up to 20,000 during March and April 2017, including up to 6,000 visitors in one day in only the Central Marshes natural component. There are no tourist services or facilities in the area other than those organized by individuals on a very limited scale. There are investment proposals for large tourism projects but their negative environmental impact has not been taken into account as these tourism projects have been given priority by local governments as a key source of income. In addition, there is no commitment to specific routes or avoidance of critical and environmentally important areas within the Ahwar; instead, all marshes are open to visitors (various media sources, 2017).

The most pressing issue was that tourists were targeting large but sensitive areas inside the marshes that hold the attributes which make up the OUV on which the natural components were inscribed (criteria ix & x). Additionally, these visits were conducted during March and April, which is the post-breeding and breeding period for the Iraq Babbler, Basra Reed Warbler, and Little Grebe (Iraqi subspecies), and other critical breeding sites for other fauna species (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

It is important that government authorities are adequately aware of the impact of tourism on the natural values, particularly since the natural attributes are an underlying reason for visitation to the site. However, tourism activities are encouraged by the government, without an adequate management strategy being in place, and local community practices such as fishing and Buffalo raising must also be considered (IUCN Consultation, 2020). An appropriate tourism monitoring and management strategy is required.

At the time of inscription it was noted that the buffer zones of several of the components could be subject to oil extraction activities (IUCN, 2016). The reported intention of the Ministry of Oil to expand oil exploitation of the Majnoon oil field into the Hawr Al-Huweizah component would puts at risk areas of major environmental importance. In 2020, although oil exploration outside the World Heritage property has been limited due to weather events, the State Party has not made a clear commitment to not conduct oil exploration or extraction inside the property, as requested by the World Heritage Committee (State Party of the Republic of Iraq, 2020), so a potential threat to the property remains into the future. Since 2020, the government has confirmed to the World Heritage Committee that no oil exploration and exploitation activities are permitted within the boundaries of the property, and are only permitted outside the boundaries if they do not pose a risk to the property, with a requirement for environmental impact assessments (EIA) and prior coordination with the ‘National Committee for the Management of the Ahwar as a World Heritage Property’. However, the Committee has also repeatedly requested the government to provide an overview of oil and gas developments within or in the vicinity of the property, including the assessment of potential impacts on the OUV in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, which is yet to be provided by the government (State Party of the Republic of Iraq, 2020-2025; UNESCO, 2021-2024).
Whilst noting the assurances provided by the State Party, there are highly concerning third party reports that oil activities have significantly increased in the area of the Hawizeh marshes and that oil exploration is currently underway within this component of the property, with objections being expressed by local communities (e.g. Save the Tigris, 2025; Ali, 2025; Al-Rubaie et al. 2025). The information is being confirmed with the State Party, however with the high likelihood of oil activities occurring within the boundaries of the site and the lack of clarity surrounding these developments, the threat to the key attributes of the site is very high.