Wetlands International recently congratulated Iraq, Iran and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands for the newest milestone for conserving the Mesopotamian Marshes.
The Mesopotamian Marshes are shared by Iran and Iraq and are the largest wetlands in the Middle East.
In December the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands organised an advisory mission to the marshes to identify ways for future cooperation between Iraq and Iran, and as a first step towards the long term conservation and sustainable development of the marshes, including ways to reduce the incidence of sand and dust storms.
The mission began in Iraq, with a workshop in Basra to introduce the importance of marshes. This was then followed by visits to the three Ramsar Sites as well as to meet the local communities who have returned to live in the marshes. The Final workshop took place in the Iranian city of Ahvaz.
The Dutch-based organisation Wetlands International commented this recent cross-border cooperation initiative between Iraq and Iran as a welcoming step.
It looks forward to supporting the spirit of this collaboration by working with all stakeholders to conserve and develop the region in a way that benefits both nature and people.