Miracle in the Marshes of Iraq Natural World


Miracle in the Marshes of Iraq

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The word "Iraq" brings to the Western mind

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images of desert, images of oil,

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civil war,

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of bloodshed, violence.

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But the word "Iraq" brings to me images of reed forests.

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Images of plentiful fishing,

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images of birds filling the sky.

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Lakes extending as far as the eye can see.

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I hope the West will get to see

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my version of Iraq, soon.

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Looking at its landscape,

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you wouldn't imagine southern Iraq

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had been home to one of the world's most important wetlands.

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But as recently as the 1980s, this

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looked like this.

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An enormous marshland, 6,000 square miles in area.

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Fed by the combined waters

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of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers,

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it dominated southern Iraq.

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It was known as the Mesopotamian Marshes

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and many Biblical scholars believe it was the original Garden of Eden.

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What's certain is that for over 7,000 years,

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it was a unique habitat of global importance,

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where wildlife and people lived in harmony.

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Then, in the 1990s,

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the marshes were virtually destroyed by Saddam Hussein

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in an attempt to eradicate the indigenous Marsh Arabs.

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Drained of water,

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the region's biggest wetland was turned to dust.

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An interdependent community of people and wildlife, wiped out.

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Since the fall of Saddam, however,

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there's been a concerted effort to recreate the marshes.

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'My name's David Johnson.

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'Together with cameraman, Steve Foote,

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'I've decided to brave the violence and chaos that still bedevil Iraq,

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'to see if the marshes can be restored.

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'And to meet Azzam Alwash,

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'who is driving what is, in effect,

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'the biggest habitat recreation project in the world.

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'Steve and I also want to see

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'if this wetland's amazing variety of wildlife still exists.'

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The marshes were of crucial importance

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'to a wide variety of birds,

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providing a vital habitat corridor for their migrations.

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Marbled teal, like these filmed in neighbouring Turkey,

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rely on marshlands to survive over winter and breed.

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The draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes

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helped make them a globally threatened species.

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It's a similar story with the Basra Reed Warbler.

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It takes its name from the nearby city of Basra

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and is rarely seen out of the region,

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except on migration to East Africa.

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With its breeding grounds virtually destroyed,

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we want to know what's happened to this endangered bird.

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'Our mission sounds straightforward,

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'but that's without the Iraq factor.'

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Since the 2003 invasion,

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this country has been torn apart by violence and civil war.

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Hundreds of thousands of people have died.

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So why have we risked it?

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We had an opportunity here to make a film about a hidden part of Iraq,

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a piece of Iraq that people, generally

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are completely unaware of.

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And hopefully, a positive story in the final analysis,

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'about a part of the world

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'that just doesn't get a lot of positive press.'

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I felt that this was a film that was actually worth making

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and the risks involved were worth taking.

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This film is not about the "bang-bang", it's about the tweet-tweet!

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'Before Steve and I could even set foot in Iraq,

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'we had to have specific training

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'on working in a hostile environment.

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'It covered everything from combat first aid and survival techniques,

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'to weapons recognition and dealing with kidnapping.'

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But nothing really prepares you for the reality of a place like Iraq.

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We travel everywhere in specially-adapted Land Cruisers,

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fitted with plate armour and bullet-proof glass.

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-RADIO CALL

-"Junction ahead, straight, straight..."

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'We're accompanied by a private security team,

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'equipped to deal with all eventualities.'

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Our quarters will be the two US Airbases in the south of Iraq

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and it's pretty clear when we arrive at the Basra base,

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that it's a million miles away from the comforts of home.

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Pretty much the first thing that happens is you get a big safety briefing about rocket attacks

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and what to do in the event that the alarms go off.

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Seven rockets were fired into the base the night before last. This is real, this is happening.

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'Only with all these precautions in place,

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'can we finally start making the film.

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'Our first priority is to meet the man

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'who is at the centre of the enormous project

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'to re-establish this unique wetland -

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'Azzam Alwash.'

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'Azzam grew up in the town of Nasiriyah,

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'on the banks of the Euphrates.

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'As a boy, he accompanied his father -

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'a government water engineer - on many trips into the marshes.

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'No photos exist of those trips,

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'but these stills, published around the same time,

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'capture a flavour of the environment he encountered.'

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My memory of those boat trips is that we are passing through these passageways

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that are surrounded with reed beds,

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that to my mind's eye, extended to the sky.

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These were towering reeds.

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I remember leaning over the outside of the boat

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and looking into this clear water and seeing fish.

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And I remember heat.

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And every now and then,

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we'd go out of these meandering rivers into these wide lakes

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and suddenly there's this breeze that comes into you,

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that cools you down.

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What I remember is a sense of serenity,

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a sense of warmth, a sense of love.

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A sense of being with my father, enjoying a unique place.

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Azzam treasured those memories,

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more so after fleeing Saddam's regime and settling in the USA.

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Then, in the wake of the 2003 invasion,

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he took time out from his thriving engineering practice

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to return to Iraq and see what had happened to his beloved marshes.

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But nothing prepared him for what he found when he arrived.

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The first time I saw the dried marshes, the dried Central Marshes,

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it was literally a physical blow.

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It was painful.

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Seeing a place that you grew up in,

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that you have kept in your memories,

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green, full of life, birds...

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and it's a desert, it's dead.

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And then you look at the destroyed homes,

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you look at the remnants of boats

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and you wonder about the loss for the people -

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what does it mean?

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The indigenous Madan tribes

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had relied on the marshes for their livelihood.

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But as these satellite images show,

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the marshes, once nearly the size of Wales,

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had shrunk to less than 10% of their original area,

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far too small to sustain the local population.

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'Fahid Al-Assadi, a family friend of Azzam, watched it happen.'

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Starving, and terrorised by Saddam's troops,

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the Marsh Arab population collapsed

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from a quarter of a million to just a few thousand.

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Fleeing to elsewhere in Iraq, Iran, or further afield,

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most, like Fadhila Jabbah,

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thought their way of life had gone forever.

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But after Saddam's fall in 2003, a return did indeed become possible.

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Azzam, following up on his father's old contacts,

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headed for Al Caba'ish in the Central Marshes.

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'So, following in his footsteps, it's our next destination, too.

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'Of course, the security situation means it's easier said than done.

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'Disguised as roadside debris,

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'Improvised Explosive Devices, or IEDs,

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'are often used to attack the security forces.'

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Sadly, private security teams like ours

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also constitute a legitimate target.

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The other main risk we face is kidnap,

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a prospect that's rare, but no less unnerving for it.

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To minimise both threats, we vary our route every day

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and try to avoid going to the same location two days running,

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or establishing any kind of pattern at all.

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Well, we actually left our base over an hour ago,

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but we're only calling Azzam now

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because, from a security point of view,

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we can't talk about things in advance.

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It's very much on a need to know basis.

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It really minimises the risk of kidnap,

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if we leave everything to the last moment.

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Makes our lives more difficult from a planning point of view,

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but it keeps us safe.

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It's over two hours before we finally reach Al Caba'ish.

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It used to be at the heart of the Central Marshes,

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but now it's dry and dusty,

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cut off from the Euphrates River by an enormous embankment.

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If you came before the embankment was built, this was all marsh.

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This was reed beds all the way, as far as the eye can see.

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This was where the water buffalo frolicked and lived.

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Now, we come back in 2003...

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Well, this is essentially what you see.

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Desert plant, tamarix,

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the water world had disappeared -

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Eden disappeared.

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This embankment and its twin on the far shore,

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are relics of the enormous engineering works

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carried out by Saddam to drain the marshes dry.

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45 miles long and seven metres high,

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they were built to prevent the Euphrates

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ever flooding this section of the marshes.

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Every piece of dirt that was used to build this embankment

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was imported from the desert.

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You can imagine the amount of money that was spent

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in order to prevent the marshes from ever coming back to life.

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'But this is just a small part of the work Saddam carried out.

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'Although it looks like a river,

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'this is, in fact, a canal,

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'part of the network built by Saddam to channel water around the marshes,

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'funnelling it straight to the Gulf,

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'over 150 miles to the south.'

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Part of me envies the engineers.

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I mean, it's an incredible accomplishment, really.

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To drain 12,000 square kilometres of wetland is no easy feat.

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It's certainly an incredible engineering feat,

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but it's a disaster of a project.

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Seeing Saddam's network of canals at first hand,

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I am struck by just the sheer scale of the work.

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It's as breathtaking as it is depressing.

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However, the Marsh Arabs who returned after Saddam's overthrow,

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were resolute in their determination to reflood the marshes.

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They dug breaches in the canal walls,

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but in many cases,

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the embankments were just too big for them to tackle.

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'Back in Al Caba'ish,

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'Azzam was undeterred.'

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The Euphrates is right here in the background

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and we mobilised an excavator

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and started digging a trench.

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The trench got to the water level

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and then the water took care of the rest of the problem.

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As soon as the water started flowing, it started undermining the embankment

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and basically, made this excavation the width that it is.

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However, as people were finding out across the region,

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reflooding areas was just the beginning.

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I come back three months later

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and I'm standing on top of a bridge here

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and I'm looking at the marsh

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and I see nothing but red, stagnated water.

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And I'm saying, "Uh-oh..."

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"..What the hell did I do?"

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I thought at that point

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we might have created an environmental disaster.

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Eventually, all the reddish stuff

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that kind of got dissolved in the water,

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started going out.

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And six months later,

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reeds were coming back up

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and it was amazing. It was incredible, really.

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The seeds had survived nearly a decade of drought

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and triggered by the return of water,

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new reed beds sprang up right across the region.

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It was a fantastic demonstration of nature's ability

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to recover from the worst of disasters.

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Even though our first sight of the marshes is in mid-winter,

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it's striking just how large the reed beds are

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and how varied the bird life is.

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Pied Kingfishers are everywhere.

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Capable of hovering for long periods in search of prey,

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they can swallow small fish in flight,

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an ability that allows them to thrive

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amidst reed beds that offer few solid perches.

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We see them nesting in the embankments built by Saddam

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and it's obvious the species has thrived.

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Equally prevalent are Black-winged Stilts.

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With their distinctive red legs, they patrol shallow areas,

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on the prowl for worms and small fish.

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Pygmy Cormorants,

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a species exclusive to Southeast Europe,

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Central Asia and the Middle East, are thriving.

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We also chance upon wintering migrant birds,

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like this juvenile Imperial Eagle,

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which may have travelled here from as far away as central Russia.

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And in a happy echo of that 1980s archive footage,

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we spot a large flock of Great White Pelicans.

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The marshes are like...

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Well, they're called the Garden of Eden, aren't they?

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It's just extraordinary, it's just such a peaceful, peaceful place.

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'It's an incredibly relaxing experience.

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'In fact, out in the boat,

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'it's easy to forget we're in Iraq at all.'

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Another delight is seeing just how many of the Marsh Arabs

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have decided to return to the area.

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People like Hammed Sarsar.

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With wildlife and reeds re-established,

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the Marsh Arab way of life is rising from the ashes.

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What we've learned is that the people and the environment are interconnected here.

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What's good for the environment is good for the people,

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what's good for the people is good for the environment, so they are not separate.

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From the reeds, they build their own islands, upon which they build their houses.

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From the reeds, they make mats for trading and bartering.

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From the young reeds, they feed their water buffalo.

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From the dried reeds, they bake their bread.

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It's the trunk upon which the Marsh Arab's life is built.

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Steve and I also benefit from this plant's inherent strength.

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'Getting panoramic shots out here is difficult, because it's so flat.

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'And Steve has to make use of whatever high point he can find.

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'Out in the marshes, the only way we can

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'achieve the same kind of photography is by getting the locals to build platforms for us out of reeds.'

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It's very strong and it's actually quite sturdy.

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'But we've managed to successfully film some birds from it this morning.

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'I think it's testament to

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'the building material itself.'

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'It's not all been good news.

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'A helicopter ride, courtesy of the US military,

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'reveals that the restoration has been patchy and sporadic.

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'It's a far cry from the endless wetlands that Azzam knew as a child.

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'And the situation was even worse in 2004.

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'People were reflooding individual sections of marshland, but there was no co-ordination

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'between different areas,

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'and no-one with a coherent plan to ensure the marshes' long-term future.

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'Having played a part in restoring one area,

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'Azzam decided to stay in Iraq

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'and set up an organisation to address this bigger picture.

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'Despite the chaos enveloping the country, Azzam has had no doubt it was the right decision.'

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'This is the cradle of western civilisation.'

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Around the shores of these lakes,

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mankind built their first cities.

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Or the birthplace of civilisation at least. Western civilisation

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is on the edges of these marshes,

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or is where writing was invented, or where Abraham was born.

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And many scholars

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theorise that the marshes are, in fact, the site of Eden.

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Why ask why work on restoring Eden? Eden is not

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just a state of mind, it's a place, it's in

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the marshes of Iraq.

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'Shuttling between his family in California and work in Iraq,

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'Azzam has established a conservation organisation, Nature Iraq.

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'Since 2004, they have worked hard to promote the cause of the marshes and the Marsh Arabs.'

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Some people think that we're silly, working on the marshes in the middle of civil insurrection,

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in the middle of kidnapping, gangs, and what have you.

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'We take our precautions, we try to protect our people as much as we can.

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'But life cannot stop waiting for the civil war to be finished.

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'There's work to be done and there is the next generation to educate.'

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'Azzam wants to establish Iraq's first National Park

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'in the Central Marshes,

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'using the wildlife as its main attraction.

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'It's all part of his plan to secure the long-term future of the region.'

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It is my dream to have this area become

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an eco-tourism Mecca,

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as well as an archaeological Mecca for tourists.

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I see people arriving in plane loads, and even before

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making it to the hotel, visiting the oldest city in the world, Ur.

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Visiting Abraham's house, visiting the royal tombs.

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And the next day, we would take them into staying in lodges in the middle

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of the marshes, taking them on kayak trips to see rare birds.

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This has to be a place the rest of the world has to see,

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so they can help us maintain it for the next generation.

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'It takes quite a leap of imagination to share Azzam's vision.

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'Although our accommodation is clean, it's not exactly five star...

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'Instead of the hotel bar, we have a...

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'bomb shelter.

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'And while there's no need to rush out early to bag a spot on the beach,

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'there are other compelling arguments that prevent a lie-in.'

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It's just gone half past five in the morning.

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A little bit earlier than I would prefer to be up,

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but there has been some intelligence

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that there are some IEDs out on some of the roads that we're travelling.

0:25:390:25:44

We're hoping to get out and early before really any of the insurgents are up and about

0:25:440:25:50

and hopefully that will keep us safe.

0:25:500:25:53

Slightly nerve-wracking, but

0:25:530:25:58

all part of the fun of working in Iraq!

0:25:580:26:00

'Bombs are one of the reasons our security team relies on so many vehicles.

0:26:040:26:09

'The scout car travels first, followed by our 4x4.

0:26:110:26:15

'If either of us break down, or are blown up,

0:26:190:26:23

'the third car is there to pick up the pieces.

0:26:230:26:28

'The fourth vehicle carries all the heavy weapons.

0:26:280:26:31

'It's their job to extricate us when the bullets start flying.

0:26:310:26:35

'Thankfully, we don't encounter any bombs while making the film, but that doesn't mean the risk is overstated.

0:26:410:26:48

'In the first six months of 2010, there are on average more than

0:26:520:26:56

'two violent incidents a day, just in the region we're working in.

0:26:560:27:01

'About half of those are roadside or vehicle-borne explosions, including

0:27:010:27:06

'one that goes off just outside a military base we're staying at.

0:27:060:27:10

'And Azzam himself accepts

0:27:120:27:14

'that Iraq is a long way off becoming a tourist destination.'

0:27:140:27:19

I cannot make this argument in today's Iraq, when people are being found headless in the street.

0:27:190:27:27

This is not yet

0:27:270:27:29

'an eco-tourism destination, but these are some of my dreams.'

0:27:290:27:33

'Even if Iraq becomes a stable and peaceful place,

0:27:350:27:39

'Azzam knows he needs to convince the locals, investors and

0:27:390:27:44

'potential visitors, that the marshes do have a long-term future

0:27:440:27:49

'and that the wildlife is here to stay.

0:27:490:27:52

'Which is one of the reasons Nature Iraq regularly sends

0:27:520:27:55

'survey teams into the marshes,

0:27:550:27:59

'and winter is a crucial time of year for monitoring activity here.

0:27:590:28:04

Many birds, like these Spanish and Dead Sea Sparrows,

0:28:060:28:11

rely on this wetland to feed and roost in winter.

0:28:110:28:14

And it's a key watering hole for millions of migrants

0:28:140:28:18

on the long, hazardous journey between Eurasia and Africa.

0:28:180:28:22

'By recording the numbers and different species of birds

0:28:230:28:26

'passing through, the survey teams will be able to assess the general health of specific populations,

0:28:260:28:33

'a good indicator of the overall condition of the marshes themselves.

0:28:330:28:37

'And there's exciting news.

0:28:390:28:42

'According to some local fishermen, a large flock of marbled teal

0:28:420:28:47

'has been spotted in the Central Marshes.

0:28:470:28:49

'This endangered species hasn't been seen in this area for 20 years,

0:28:510:28:56

'so we've joined Azzam and chief ornithologist, Mudhafar Salim, to see if it's true.'

0:28:560:29:01

In the chaos of the Iraq of today,

0:29:050:29:09

this is a piece of heaven.

0:29:090:29:11

Just being at one with nature,

0:29:130:29:15

birds flying,

0:29:170:29:19

the rustling of the reeds.

0:29:210:29:23

Isn't this what heaven is all about?

0:29:250:29:27

'It takes us half an hour to reach the lake where the teal are supposed to be.

0:29:310:29:36

'If the reports are accurate, it should just be a question of patience.'

0:29:360:29:41

THEY SPEAK ARABIC

0:29:490:29:51

Incredible, wow.

0:29:550:29:58

'We're in luck.'

0:29:580:29:59

Incredible.

0:29:590:30:01

A flock of marbled teal is congregating on the far side of the lake.

0:30:010:30:06

'What's really exciting is that there are far more teal than we expected.'

0:30:110:30:17

You've got to see this. Oh, my gosh.

0:30:210:30:24

Oh, my God.

0:30:240:30:26

HE LAUGHS

0:30:260:30:28

Oh, my God! Look at this, look at this!

0:30:330:30:36

Jesus!

0:30:360:30:39

That is incredible.

0:30:470:30:49

'If you were here in 2004, 2005, when the water first arrived,

0:30:530:30:58

'you would have seen desert and nothing but tamarisk.

0:30:580:31:02

And today you see reeds, it's winter and it's yellow, it's not alive,

0:31:020:31:08

but the most beautiful thing is the fact

0:31:080:31:10

you have, I don't know, 20,000 - he says 20,000 - I have no idea!

0:31:100:31:15

I just know it's a black cloud of birds and it's filling the sky

0:31:150:31:20

and it's just amazing, what will happen when you let water back in.

0:31:200:31:25

When we tell this to Birdlife International, I think they're going to be

0:31:250:31:29

uncorking champagne. I think, I'm not sure!

0:31:290:31:32

It makes it worthwhile, all the sacrifices, missing my children's

0:31:330:31:36

birthdays, missing my wife's birthday,

0:31:360:31:38

missing an anniversary, missing the girl's graduation,

0:31:380:31:43

you know?

0:31:440:31:46

When my kids and my grandkids come here,

0:31:470:31:50

and we talk about the missed opportunities,

0:31:500:31:54

there is something I can point to as this is the reason why.

0:31:540:31:59

'It's an amazing moment.'

0:31:590:32:01

The sight of so many birds emphasizes the marshes' importance as a wildlife habitat,

0:32:010:32:07

and it convinces me this could actually become an eco-tourism destination in the future.

0:32:070:32:13

'Analysing the photographs later, the team revise their estimates of teal numbers upwards.

0:32:160:32:22

'They now think there are over 40,000 in the marshes this winter,

0:32:220:32:27

'five times the previous highest count, and almost double

0:32:270:32:30

'the previous estimates of the world population.

0:32:300:32:33

'But we aren't the only people to spot the teal.

0:32:350:32:38

'These men are hunters, attempting to bag a few birds for the pot.

0:32:400:32:44

GUNSHOT

0:32:440:32:47

Surrounded by a group of excited conservationists, I half expect us to rush off and confront them.

0:32:470:32:53

'But Azzam knows that a balance has to be struck

0:32:530:32:57

'between the needs of the wildlife and those of the Marsh Arabs.'

0:32:570:33:01

We're not going to prevent people from going in there and hunting,

0:33:010:33:04

we're not going to prevent people from going there and fishing.

0:33:040:33:07

It's their land, it's their area,

0:33:070:33:09

they can go in there and fish all they want.

0:33:090:33:11

The fact is the marshes need to be restored, but need to be restored

0:33:110:33:15

for the people, not for nature, per se.

0:33:150:33:18

But both can benefit from this.

0:33:180:33:21

'It's early April and we're back to see what effect the spring

0:33:310:33:34

'floods have had, and to film some of the marshes' resident wildlife.

0:33:340:33:39

'To give us the best chance of actually seeing any, our security

0:33:440:33:48

'team has worked hard to set up a one-off overnight in Al-Caba'ish.

0:33:480:33:53

'It will allow us to film at sunset and sunrise, when the birds and amphibians are most prevalent.

0:33:530:33:59

'The benefits are immediately apparent.

0:34:030:34:05

'The resident marsh frogs treat us, not just to a chorus,

0:34:070:34:12

'but to a mating display as well.'

0:34:120:34:15

This is all good stuff.

0:34:220:34:24

'Later, when we see the arrangements required for the overnight,

0:34:280:34:32

'it's pretty clear why we can't do this all the time.'

0:34:320:34:36

We've got a ten-man security team working with us.

0:34:360:34:40

And on top of that, we've also got the TSU, the Tactical Support Unit of the Iraqi police guarding us.

0:34:400:34:46

So it's quite a big operation, really.

0:34:460:34:48

Slightly surreal, considering, really, they're only looking after Steve and I.

0:34:500:34:54

So we're in this bizarre position where there are thirty people here

0:34:540:34:57

to look after two, which feels really odd.

0:34:570:35:01

The thing is, I can't quite figure out, is it weird because there are

0:35:010:35:05

only two of us, we don't need thirty to look after us, surely?

0:35:050:35:09

Or is it weird because, actually, we do need thirty to look after us

0:35:090:35:13

and that says something about the environment we're in?

0:35:130:35:16

Either way, it's pretty peculiar, especially since we're really just here to film some ducks.

0:35:180:35:23

Overnight is a success, although the morning is

0:35:270:35:31

more of a smash and grab raid than a conventional wildlife shoot.

0:35:310:35:34

'Guards and guns rather compromise our ability to blend in.

0:35:420:35:45

'The light is nothing to get excited about either,

0:35:510:35:54

'but we do get a glimpse of an Iraq Babbler.

0:35:540:35:58

'Its rather bland looks disguise its significance.

0:35:590:36:03

'This species can only be found here,

0:36:030:36:06

'over the border in Iran, and upstream along the Euphrates.

0:36:060:36:11

'The Babbler is definitely a tick,

0:36:110:36:15

'but we are hoping to see some of the marshes' more exotic inhabitants.

0:36:150:36:20

'However, heading off later, Mudhafar reminds us that just a few years ago,

0:36:230:36:28

any of birding trip would have been impossible.

0:36:280:36:31

Initially, we see little except slender billed gulls.

0:37:160:37:20

'Then, after a bit of wading to get right out to the edge of the marsh,

0:37:230:37:27

'we're rewarded with a sight of my favourite bird - a flock of Greater Flamingo.

0:37:270:37:33

'These birds probably breed in northern Iran, but attracted

0:37:380:37:42

'by the warmer temperatures, they'll spend several months here,

0:37:420:37:46

'moving from one brackish spot to another.'

0:37:460:37:49

'The job of conserving the wildlife here is getting harder.

0:38:470:38:51

'In fact, the whole marsh restoration project is at risk.

0:38:510:38:55

'And looking at the Euphrates River, it's immediately apparent why.

0:38:550:39:01

'By now, the river should be starting to flood, swollen with snow-melt from its head-waters in Turkey.

0:39:010:39:08

'In fact, it looks lower now than it did in January.

0:39:080:39:12

'It's the continuation of a drought that has been going on for nearly three years.

0:39:180:39:23

'And from a peak of over 50%, the proportion of marshland

0:39:230:39:28

'that's been restored has slumped to around 30%.

0:39:280:39:31

'The drought is not the sole cause of the problems.

0:39:330:39:37

'The Tigris and Euphrates rivers have been dammed

0:39:370:39:41

'since the time of the Babylonians, 4,000 years ago.

0:39:410:39:44

'But recently, the rate of upstream dam construction

0:39:440:39:47

'has increased dramatically, and the marshes now receive less than a fifth of the water they did 30 years ago.'

0:39:470:39:54

The lack of water is the result of dams upstream, in Iraq,

0:39:560:40:00

but mostly in Turkey and Syria.

0:40:000:40:03

If there's enough water, we can restore 100% of the marshes.

0:40:030:40:05

The hindering block is, in fact, this lack of water.

0:40:050:40:10

The dams are creating an additional problem.

0:40:110:40:15

The traditional cycle of spring floods, flushing out accumulated salt deposits, no longer occurs.

0:40:150:40:22

'And, as scientists like Nabeel Hasan are seeing, the marshes

0:40:260:40:30

'are becoming steadily more saline.'

0:40:300:40:33

You can use this multimeter to take an indicator of the water quality, but the plants can give you

0:40:330:40:40

a first indicator.

0:40:400:40:43

Water lily is now growing very limited,

0:40:430:40:47

and in a specific area, it's less than before.

0:40:470:40:50

It makes me sad, actually,

0:40:500:40:53

because when you work in the marshes,

0:40:530:40:57

you feel like each plant

0:40:570:41:00

is like, you know, like your baby.

0:41:000:41:03

The water quality changes aren't just affecting the plants.

0:41:040:41:07

Traditional freshwater fish

0:41:070:41:09

are being replaced by species that are salt water tolerant.

0:41:090:41:14

Elsewhere, areas have dried completely.

0:41:170:41:20

The few pools of water left, like those close to

0:41:200:41:24

Fadhila Jabber's house, are often stagnant and polluted.

0:41:240:41:28

'It's late May, the beginning of summer in the marshes.

0:42:330:42:37

'We've returned to Iraq for one final trip.

0:42:410:42:46

'Our main objective is to film the rare Basra Reed Warbler.

0:42:460:42:49

'Like these Squacco Herons,

0:42:540:42:57

'or these Red Crested Potchard, the Reed Warblers should be nesting now.

0:42:570:43:02

'And our best chance of seeing one lies in finding an occupied nest,

0:43:020:43:06

'somewhere out here in the marshes.

0:43:060:43:08

'We also want to find out what steps,

0:43:110:43:14

'if any, are being taken to tackle the dreadful lack of water.

0:43:140:43:17

'If the problem is not addressed,

0:43:190:43:21

'then much of the work carried out to date will be for nothing.

0:43:210:43:25

'However, returning to the river,

0:43:290:43:31

'it's obvious that in our absence Azzam and his team have been busy.'

0:43:310:43:35

Early last year, we did notice that the Euphrates level was dropping,

0:43:370:43:40

as a result, the Central Marshes were beginning to re-dry.

0:43:400:43:44

In order to prevent that from happening, one of my engineers thought of the idea of building

0:43:470:43:52

an embankment across the Euphrates, raising the level of the Euphrates upstream.

0:43:520:43:57

The embankment is now being built by the Ministry of Water Resources

0:43:570:44:01

to actually rehydrate the Central Marshes,

0:44:010:44:03

and the Central Marshes are rehydrating as we speak.

0:44:030:44:07

'Putting yet another dam in the Euphrates

0:44:080:44:11

'can only be a stop-gap measure.

0:44:110:44:13

'It's just intended to buy time, while Azzam musters the resources to

0:44:130:44:18

'implement his grand plan to secure the long-term future for this area.

0:44:180:44:24

'To achieve it, he's taking on

0:44:240:44:27

'one of the most enduring legacies of Saddam's reign.

0:44:270:44:30

'This is the Glory River, the largest of Saddam's drainage canals.

0:44:320:44:37

'Until now, it's been left largely intact.

0:44:390:44:43

'That's about to change.'

0:44:430:44:46

At this point in time, we're building a regulator at the beginning of the Glory River.

0:44:500:44:53

I hope you will see that there's not going to be any water flowing here, all the water that's flowing into

0:44:530:44:58

the Glory River should be flowing into the Central Marshes, where it will go to the National Park.

0:44:580:45:03

With this water, we can restore the majority of the Central Marshes.

0:45:030:45:08

That's just part of the vision.

0:45:080:45:11

Diverting water from the Glory River is like turning on a bath tap.

0:45:110:45:16

But Azzam is also playing with the plug in order to recreate the natural water cycle.

0:45:160:45:22

What we're trying to do here is to create a mechanical flood, as it were.

0:45:330:45:37

We have a series of nine regulators, just about the same size as this one.

0:45:370:45:42

We're going to use these regulators to kind of hold water in the winter

0:45:420:45:45

and make the water go up and basically wet the dry areas, or the high areas.

0:45:450:45:52

And then let the water go out in the spring,

0:45:520:45:55

creating a small flood cycle for the central marsh.

0:45:550:45:58

It's a compromise, essentially.

0:45:580:46:03

It's basically creating a small flood pulse, as opposed

0:46:030:46:06

to the large pulses that used to happen by nature.

0:46:060:46:09

The water that comes into the marshes these days does not have

0:46:090:46:12

the turbidity, does not have the silt and clay that it used to have, with the natural floods.

0:46:120:46:16

So it is a half solution, but it's better than nothing.

0:46:160:46:21

'The project's being funded by the Iraqi government, but was developed using money from Italy.'

0:46:230:46:30

We have

0:46:300:46:32

a small generator for them.

0:46:320:46:34

THEY SPEAK ARABIC

0:46:350:46:39

Thank you very much.

0:46:390:46:40

'Several Western governments provide aid to help in the rebuilding of Iraq, channelling funds through

0:46:420:46:47

'specially set up Provincial Reconstruction Teams, or PRTs.

0:46:470:46:52

'Here in Dhi Qar Province, the PRT is run by the Italians.

0:46:520:46:57

'And its head, Anna Prouse, is a committed supporter of the efforts to maintain and extend the marshes.'

0:46:570:47:04

'I haven't been out here now in a few months, and I was smiling.

0:47:040:47:08

'I said, I am so glad I came out here.'

0:47:080:47:10

Because at the beginning, there was was not much to see out here.

0:47:100:47:14

The heart would cry when you saw it.

0:47:140:47:17

Now, you start seeing water with fish again, and the birds flying in the evening when the sun goes down.

0:47:170:47:24

It is, you know,

0:47:240:47:26

it's good for the soul.

0:47:260:47:28

Here, you just breathe the future,

0:47:280:47:30

you just breathe that there is a possibility.

0:47:300:47:34

And this is thanks to the wildlife.

0:47:340:47:36

That sense of hope is a valuable commodity in Iraq,

0:47:370:47:41

because the deteriorating security situation could plunge the country back into chaos.

0:47:410:47:47

'The upsurge in violence is partly due

0:47:500:47:53

'to the inconclusive results of the national elections in March 2010.

0:47:530:47:58

'With no clear winner, the competing groups

0:47:580:48:02

'have so far failed to form a coalition government.

0:48:020:48:06

'In effect, no-one is in charge.'

0:48:060:48:10

No. Er, on the causeway.

0:48:100:48:13

Yes.

0:48:130:48:15

OK, see you then.

0:48:150:48:17

'With just a few days to go,

0:48:180:48:20

'we thankfully haven't had to deal with any serious security incidents.

0:48:200:48:26

'But we still want to film the elusive Basra Reed Warbler

0:48:260:48:31

'and today's early start looks to have been a wasted effort.'

0:48:310:48:34

We've just had a bit of a delay this morning, an argument over boats.

0:48:370:48:41

We'd got boats organised to take us out into the marsh,

0:48:410:48:44

but one of the locals was arguing because we weren't using his boat.

0:48:440:48:49

'And the only way it was going to get resolved was by calling up the local

0:48:490:48:53

'Sheikh and the local Head of Police to try and resolve it.

0:48:530:48:57

'The boats that have come to pick us up belong to one tribe, but to reach us, they've had

0:48:580:49:04

'to travel into another tribe's area, which is the source of the dispute.

0:49:040:49:09

'As the argument intensifies, it feels like

0:49:110:49:15

'I'm watching a microcosm of the parliamentary negotiations...

0:49:150:49:18

'and they've been going on for months.

0:49:180:49:21

'Being held like this in one place

0:49:240:49:27

'is never good from a safety point of view, and after an hour's delay,

0:49:270:49:31

'the security team leader decides to abandon filming.

0:49:310:49:35

'Visible for miles around atop an embankment,

0:49:380:49:41

'we are extremely vulnerable.

0:49:410:49:43

'But we can't just head off.

0:49:430:49:45

'Our police escort has called up a local detachment to guide us

0:49:450:49:49

'through the nearby town, so we must move the vehicles off the skyline while we wait for them to appear.

0:49:490:49:56

'Every new arrival is now viewed as a potential threat.

0:50:000:50:05

'Even the confirmation of their identity as the detachment

0:50:500:50:53

'we've been waiting for does little to reduce the tension.'

0:50:530:50:57

I've just been informed by the TL that we're moving out in approximately two minutes.

0:51:050:51:09

Bravo, Roger.

0:51:090:51:11

Are we going back through Suk Anq sukh?

0:51:130:51:15

No, we're going to go a different route.

0:51:150:51:18

Just shows how a situation can get out of control

0:51:220:51:24

over something as simple as using the wrong boat,

0:51:240:51:28

can easily flare up into a full-on

0:51:280:51:31

bunfight, as they say.

0:51:310:51:33

'But if we thought our next stop would be the sanctuary of our base, we were sadly mistaken.'

0:51:340:51:40

Well, as you can see, things have escalated a bit further.

0:51:420:51:46

Didn't quite expect to be on the inside of an Iraqi police station.

0:51:460:51:50

The guy who was complaining wouldn't take money.

0:51:520:51:55

We came to the conclusion that, potentially,

0:51:550:51:58

there's another agenda going on.

0:51:580:52:02

This whole area is now deemed potentially hostile,

0:52:020:52:06

and we are now waiting for re-enforcements to join us.

0:52:060:52:10

The only thing we can really do is return to base, regroup and come up with a plan for tomorrow.

0:52:100:52:16

'After 45 minutes, more heavily armed TSU squads arrive

0:52:160:52:23

'and we can finally start the long journey home.

0:52:230:52:26

The guy who'd been kicking up a fuss over the boats, and was subsequently arrested, has actually turned out

0:52:320:52:37

to be a member of the Mahdi Army, which is a militia group.

0:52:370:52:41

And that's just changed the whole perspective on that situation.

0:52:410:52:46

The Iraqi police unit

0:52:460:52:48

that was escorting us is taking it so seriously that we actually have

0:52:480:52:53

six TSU vehicles with us now.

0:52:530:52:57

So we are now a military convoy of ten vehicles in total,

0:52:570:53:04

which is a measure of

0:53:040:53:06

how seriously the local police are taking the situation.

0:53:060:53:11

'After all the effort to get us out to Iraq and into the marshes,

0:53:120:53:17

'the loss of a whole day's filming is difficult to stomach.

0:53:170:53:21

'But as they say out here, "Inshallah"

0:53:210:53:24

'- it's God's will.

0:53:240:53:26

'We can only hope he smiles on us tomorrow.

0:53:260:53:29

We're going up this little channel, away from all the other boats, to try and find a Basra Reed Warbler nest.

0:53:450:53:53

It's one of the indigenous species

0:53:530:53:56

to the marshes and, as its name suggests,

0:53:560:53:59

this is really one of the only parts of the world where it's found.

0:53:590:54:02

According to Azzam's survey teams, Basra Reed Warblers were nesting here last year.

0:54:040:54:11

We're hoping that the drying of the marshes hasn't prevented their return.

0:54:110:54:16

It's over here. Can you see it, David?

0:54:160:54:19

'Steve spots a nest.'

0:54:190:54:22

If necessary, I'll go and stand in the water and do it.

0:54:220:54:24

'But is it still in use?'

0:54:240:54:27

Let's go back there.

0:54:270:54:29

'We're in luck, and we get our first view

0:55:030:55:06

'of one of the world's rare birds, a Basra Reed Warbler.

0:55:060:55:10

'Its unspectacular appearance belies the magnitude of the moment.

0:55:170:55:23

'This bird, which breeds here and virtually nowhere else,

0:55:230:55:27

'embodies the spirit of the Mesopotamia Marshes.

0:55:280:55:32

'If it can recover, then it speaks volumes

0:55:320:55:35

'for the whole rehabilitation project.

0:55:350:55:38

'And despite the drought, surveys show its breeding range

0:55:500:55:53

'is greater now than at any time since 2003.'

0:55:530:55:59

This is what I love about my job.

0:55:590:56:02

This is what makes you work harder,

0:56:020:56:05

to make other places come back.

0:56:050:56:08

Yeah, this is the best part.

0:56:100:56:12

'Successes like this are part of what keeps Azzam and his colleagues going.

0:56:140:56:19

'And if the challenges ahead over water supply

0:56:210:56:23

'or any other threat seem daunting, it's important to remember

0:56:230:56:28

'the progress made

0:56:280:56:29

'after the virtual destruction of this unique environment.'

0:56:290:56:34

'Whenever I'm inside the marshes, I feel at peace,

0:56:440:56:48

'listening to sound of the wind going through the rushes,

0:56:480:56:52

'the sound of birds calling in the distance.

0:56:520:56:55

'It's wonderful

0:56:550:56:57

'to have that feeling back again, especially when you contrast it'

0:56:570:57:02

to 2003, when there was nothing

0:57:020:57:05

but desert and sand in your ears and nose.

0:57:050:57:08

It's that contrast, between the devastation wrought by Saddam,

0:57:100:57:15

and the areas of marshes that have been restored,

0:57:150:57:19

that continues to give hope.

0:57:190:57:21

Not just for the Mesopotamian Marshes, but also for other

0:57:210:57:25

parts of the world that have suffered because of mankind's lack of respect.

0:57:250:57:29

In many ways, the restoration of the marshes mirrors the restoration of Iraq -

0:57:320:57:36

two steps forward, one step back, two steps forward, one step back.

0:57:360:57:40

But you know what? Directionally, we're on the right track.

0:57:400:57:44

The future's good, all you need is

0:57:440:57:48

to have the will and persist.

0:57:480:57:52

And if we can restore this, Iraq can be restored too.

0:57:520:57:56

Subtitles by RED BEE MEDIA LTD

0:58:270:58:29

E-mail: [email protected]

0:58:290:58:32

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