PARENT SESSION
Special Session 9: Restoration of Mesopotamian Marshes of Iraq
Organized by: CJ Richardson and BG Warner
Tuesday, August 9, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Exhibit Hall 210a-e, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Historical vegetation of the Al-Ahwar Marshes of Iraq.

Al-Hilli, Majeed^*,1, Warner, Barry², Asada, Taro², ¹ Biotechnology Department, Baghdad, Iraq² Wetlands Research Group, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

ABSTRACT- The Mesopotamian marshes of Iraq are locally referred to as the Al-Ahwar. Early surveys of the vascular plants, consisting largely of checklists, began in the 1890s and continued to be produced by several botanists who visited the Al-Ahwar up until the 1970s. Plant community composition, vegetation classification, ecological relationships, and plant productivity were studied in 1972-1975 as part of the first, and as history would have it, the only detailed systematic and scientific investigation of the vegetation of the Al-Ahwar. The vascular flora of the Al-Ahwar comprised 371 species in 59 families of wetland and weedy species. A total of 24 plant community types were recognized: eight permanently submerged communities, seven seasonally submerged communities, four occasionally submerged communities, and five occasionally wet communities. Ecological parameters such as water depth, electrical conductivity, salinity, Cl, and Na showed some of the strongest relationships with vegetation composition. The Phragmites australis community types had the highest above ground biomass values. These studies were conducted in sections of the Al-Ahwar that no longer exist, and therefore, serve as important benchmarks for defining future restoration goals and measuring restoration success today.

Key words: marshes, Mesopotamia, Iraq, vegetation