Environment

Canada signs agreement to protect Iraq’s Marshlands

The Mesopotamian Marshlands in Iraq, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are facing severe threats from climate change, such as droughts, rising temperatures, reduced precipitation, and higher evaporation rates.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2023/04/21 10:34

Iraq’s southern Marshlands are threatened by climate change (Photo: UNDP)

Iraq Marshes Iraq Canada Environment Climate change

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Earlier this month, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iraq and Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) signed an agreement for a project aimed at protecting Iraq’s southern Marshlands.

According to a press release by the UNDP, this included a contribution of CAD 5 million (approximately US$ 3.7 million) to increase biodiversity protection and enhance the resilience of people to climate change.

The project will be implemented under the leadership of the Center for Restoration of Iraqi Marshes & Wetlands (CRIMW) at the Ministry of Water Resources of Iraq.

The project proposes a set of activities to build the resilience of local communities to the impacts of climate change, particularly indigenous Marsh women. It aims to tackle the root causes of biodiversity degradation and protect the wildlife population.

Furthermore, the project will increase local water security by rehabilitating water recycling systems, equipping them with solar energy units, and conducting a comprehensive analysis of possible solutions for securing drinking water for the Marshes population.

The project will also establish locally managed hatcheries to re-populate the native fish stock and improve regulations on sustainable hunting and fishing.