14 DAY TRIAL // The Iraqi part of the Mesopotamian marshes has recently been turned into a national park. The park is the first of its kind to have ever been established in Iraq.
Interestingly enough, it appears that the area the Iraqi Council of Ministers has chosen to grant legal protection to is considered by some researchers to be the site of the historical Garden of Eden.
According to Mongabay, several dozen bird species call these marshes their home.
Besides, migrating species have been documented to make a pit stop in these regions while traveling from one part of the world to another.
The same source informs us that, back in the 1950s, a larger portion of the marshes was drained in order to accommodate for agricultural and oil exploration activities.
Later on, Saddam Hussein continued to drain the area, hoping to drive out the Ma'dan Marsh Arabs inhabiting them.
Greenheads are now working to restore them to their former glory, and they are awfully glad that the area has been declared a national park.
“With this action, Iraq has acted to preserve the cradle of civilization,” argues Azzam Alwash, the founder of the NGO Nature Iraq.