Image description: Fishermen from Qarmat Ali with the Nahr Bin Umar oilfield across the Shatt al-Arab River. They complain that due to pollution and the river’s increased salinity, they often pull in dead fish. Image by Daniela Sala / The Guardian.

The Guardian recently reported on the decline of Iraq’s Hawizeh wetlands, part of the Mesopotamian wetland system and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Once a thriving ecological and cultural landscape, the marshes are now drying rapidly, with water levels in some areas reduced to less than half a metre.

There are several compounding pressures threatening the marshes: Oilfields nearby, including Majnoon and Halfaya, draw vast amounts of water from the Tigris to support extraction activities, while upstream dams and recurring drought further limit inflows. This combination of industrial demand and reduced supply has accelerated desertification and pushed the ecosystem towards collapse.

The loss of the wetlands matters because they provide critical services, including biodiversity support, fisheries, and climate regulation. Their decline has also left local communities facing severe impacts: traditional livelihoods are becoming unsustainable, water quality is deteriorating, and many families are being forced to leave.

Economic development urgently needs to be balanced with environmental protection, with integrated management, regulation of industrial water use, and cross-border cooperation to secure ecosystems that communities and economies depend on.