PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 2: Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Monday, August 8, 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM, Meeting Room 513 C, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Eco-cultural restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshes.
Stevens, Michelle*,, Miralles-Wilhelm, Fernando2, Crisman, Thomas2, 2 Iraq AWARE, Miami, Florida, USA
ABSTRACT- The Iraq-AWARE project is a comprehensive research, education infrastructure and capacity building plan, implemented by University of Miami in collaboration with the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research and the Iraq University of Basrah Marine Science Center. The primary objective of Iraq-AWARE is to build capacity in a higher education programs that address the eco-cultural restoration and sustainable land uses of the al-Ahwar wetlands. The transboundary and regional impacts of the Tigris-Euphrates river basin and marine environment linkages include sea water quality, fish and food web productivity, and local microclimate conditions resulting from wetland drainage. The critical question for restoration of the marshes is to define the essential base flow of water required to support traditional uses, ecosystem integrity, and wise use. The al ahwar are a culturalized landscape extending back to antiquity. Defining critical water quality and quantity will establish the essential water needed for traditional uses of the marshes, such as harvesting reeds for mat, home and mudhif construction; water buffalo forage; fish and avian productivity; and rice, millet, date palm and other agricultural crop production. Training local scientists to build capacity and conduct ethnographic interviews with knowledgeable local people can be combined with hydrologic modeling and ecological sampling to develop master restoration and sustainable development plans for the marshes. Development of transboundary conservation areas would include a core area of wild lands or traditionally managed marshes, with buffer zones of agricultural production, informed by local stakeholders and site characteristics.
Key words: Mesopotmian marsh