Mesopotamian Delta and Marshes - A Global Ecoregion
Among the most important wintering areas for migratory birds
Snapshot: Ecoregion 158
Size:
100,000 sq. km (50,000 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Large River Deltas
Geographic Location:
Middle East: Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait
Conservation Status:
Critical/Endangered
Quiz Time!
In what way do dams affect the biodiversity of ecoregions?
Answer:
Dams divert water for agriculture that in turn destroys habitat and takes nutrients out of the soil. Further, when water used for irrigation is flushed back into the rivers, it becomes too salty for many plants, fish, and birds to survive in. Dams also reduce the natural flow of water and restrict seasonal floods important for activities such as spawning and migration.
Answer:
Dams divert water for agriculture that in turn destroys habitat and takes nutrients out of the soil. Further, when water used for irrigation is flushed back into the rivers, it becomes too salty for many plants, fish, and birds to survive in. Dams also reduce the natural flow of water and restrict seasonal floods important for activities such as spawning and migration.
About the Area
At the northern end of the Persian Gulf is the vast deltaic plain of the Euphrates, Tigris and Karun rivers.
The Mesopotamian Delta and Marshes ecoregion is this complex of shallow freshwater lakes, swamps, marshes, and seasonally inundated plains between the Tigris and Euphrates that make up the largest river delta in the Middle East.Local Species
Of the 278 species of birds that have been recorded in the Mesopotamian Delta and Marshes, nearly half are wetland birds. These marshes support almost the entire world population of two bird species, Basra reed warbler (Acrocephalus griseldis) and Iraq babbler (Turdoides altirostris).
Other species unique to these wetlands include two species of mammals (Erythronesokia bunnii and Gerbillus mesopotamiae) and several subspecies of fish.
More widespread freshwater-dependent mammals found in the ecoregion include the Common otter (Lutra lutra) and a subspecies of Smooth-coated otter (Lutra perspicillatamaxwelli).
Migrants such as pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus), Lesser white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus), and Red-breasted geese (Branta ruficollis) winter in the wetlands and numerous other species of waterbirds and birds of prey frequent the ecoregion.
Threats
Channelisation, damming, water withdrawals, salinisation from agriculture, oil production activities, hunting, and drainage schemes have destroyed large parts of the wetland complex.
Much of the fighting during the prolonged Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and bombings during the Persian Gulf War occurred in and around the wetlands causing considerable damage to the marsh ecosystems.
Resources
• NationalGeographic.com
