Iraq’s disappearing marshes: A cultural and environmental alarm

Shafaq News – Paris

Iraqi photographer Aymen al-Ameri has opened a Paris exhibition documenting the rapid decline of Iraq’s Mesopotamian marshes, warning that the ancient wetlands could vanish within two decades without urgent action.

According to The National, the show "An Imaginary Museum on the Ground" brings together a decade of work portra,ying both the landscapes and communities of the marshes, once celebrated as the cradle of Sumerian civilization and later recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

Al-Ameri said his project highlights how falling river flows, upstream dam construction, and climate change have devastated the ecosystem, forcing residents from traditional livelihoods and erasing cultural practices tied to the waterways.

Iraq’s southern marshes, partly restored after Saddam Hussein’s draining campaigns in the 1990s, now face renewed collapse amid years of drought and poor water management. Environmental experts warn that without coordinated policies, the habitat could disappear entirely.

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