Posted on 07/19/2005 2:54:21 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Saddam Hussein Polluted Habitat Of Thousands Of Marsh Arabs
They were bigger than the everglades, older than the Bible -- until Saddam Hussein set out to decimate the cradle of civilization.
Now wetland experts in Wisconsin are helping restore historic wetlands in Iraq, reports News 3's Joel DeSpain.
Joy Zedler, who holds the Aldo Leopold chair in Restoration Ecology at the UW, and Dr. Rich Beilfuss, a hydrologist with Baraboo's International Crane Foundation, head the uncommon international restoration mission.
"It's an amazing area," Beilfuss said. "The Mesopotamian wetlands are probably something we all know a little bit about from childhood. It's the meeting of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It's the birthplace of agriculture as we now it -- the birthplace of domestic livestock and so on. It's really where the world began in many ways."
It's also where Marsh Arabs thrived for 5,000 years. Then Saddam went after them with a vengeance.
"The reeds were burned off," Beilfuss said. "In many cases, the fishes were poisoned out of the waters, and ultimately the waters were removed."
Ninety percent of the wetlands were wiped out, and numbers of marsh Arabs plummeted to 20,000.
"As a wetland scientist and wetland lover, it's a phenomenal loss," Beilfuss said. "It's one we can hardly begin to appreciate in Wisconsin. You know we battle, in many ways, acre for acre in Wisconsin, and here we're talking almost 3,000 square miles."
Prior to the U.S.-led invasion, a prominent Iraqi-American placed a call to Madison, saying she had had gotten Zedler's name from the National Research Council.
"She asked if somebody was going try to restore Eden again -- as they put it in their story, in their project name, how would they go about it," Zedler said.
She in turn reached out to colleagues around the globe, including Beilfuss, and the advisory counsel to the Eden Again campaign began.
A small fraction of the wetlands have now been re-flooded.
"We almost haven't had time to grieve over it," Beilfuss said. "It's happened so quickly, and there's suddenly an opportunity to do something about it over it. It's happened so quickly, and there's suddenly an opportunity to do something about it. The world's barely come to terms with the loss from an educational stand point, and so we're already talking about how to fix it, because life marches on very quickly."
Because of the war, many wetland experts are advising from afar for now but hope to get hands-on experience as well someday.
Learn more at http://www.EdenAgain.com.
I see you're just a tad passionate on the subject, LOL! :)
"I will bet that those who champion this wetlands restoration know nothing of insect-borne disease."
Wisconsin has it's share of mosquitoes and the diseases they spread; heartworm to our dogs & cats, encephylitis (sp?), etc. But you're probably right. They're not thinking ahead. They never really do.
*SIGH* Oh, well. I was trying to give them some credit, but you're right...I should always go with my gut where EnviroWackos are concerned. Lesson learned.
Then you know that it isn't just mosquitoes that breed in the swamps. But, point taken about the enviro-crowd & DDT. However, it is possible to be a conservationist & not be party to the wackos.
...what did Saddam have against the Marsh Arabs?
From the Eden link:
Following the end of the Gulf War in 1991, the marsh dwellers were important elements in the uprising against Saddam Hussein’s regime. To end the rebellion, the regime implemented an intensive system of drainage and water diversion structures that desiccated over 90% of the marshes.
Yes, it is. I come from a long line of outdoors men who were just that. Yet they were not so stupid that they eschewed the liberal (clever use of the word) use of insecticides and swamp draining when it served to reduce the possibility of disease. Restoration of these wetlands requires a heck of a lot more planning (and maintenance)then these morons are capable of.
What was the rate and incidence of malaria (and related illness) among the Marsh Arabs?
"If we let the greenies have their way we will all be living in teepees and crapping in a hole in the ground."
Stop! You're giving me Army flashbacks, LOL! Viva la Industrial Revolution!
Am I a bad person for planning on having a composting toilet in my (eventual) cabin in the woods, though? I plan on self-generated electrical and solar power, too. Pumped water from the well, yada, yada, yada.
See, I don't mind "roughing it" one bit; I was born 100 years too late, actually. But as you point out, it should be MY choice to do so...or not.
Found this:
http://www.ipmofalaska.com/Iraq.html
Quote: "The former regime in Iraq applied DDT to control disease vectors here twice a year, but the military does not allow DDT since it is outlawed by the US. The local Iraqi health authorities have asked us to use DDT after we have ineffectively expended several thousands of pounds of low risk active ingredient pesticides and distributing thousands of units of personal insect repellents containing DEET. Both they and I have noticed that our supposedly low-risk pesticides used in Iraq don't work due to weather conditions, heat and the low persistence of our insecticides in this environment."
"Because of this ineffectiveness, there have been nearly a thousand cases of Leishmaniasis among US troops and untold numbers of Malaria, which incidentally, killed over 9 million people in the world since 1999."
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