Dr. Barry Warner
Creating an ecological legacy in Iraq
Iraq has been called one of the most dangerous places on Earth, but that hasn't stopped Barry Warner from lending a helping hand in restoring this war-torn country's ecosystem.
In the midst of the vast desert, Iraq shares with Iran the largest wetland in the Middle East.
During Saddam Hussein's reign, access to the wetlands was restricted by the military and no one was allowed in," says Warner, Waterloo’s chair of earth and environmental sciences. The Iraqi government drained about three-quarters of the wetlands. "This would be like Lake Ontario nearly disappearing."
After the fall of the regime in 2003, Warner and his colleagues obtained funding from the Canadian International Development Agency to work with the Iraqis to restore the wetlands.
Not only were the wetlands a rare ecosystem: they were home to nearly half a million marsh dwellers, a people whose lifestyle has changed very little in the last 6,000 years.
They rely on the wetlands for food, materials to build shelter, grazing areas for their water-buffalo herds, and goods to sell and trade."
In his attempt to understand how to restore the wetlands, Warner was faced with a challenge.
"Canadian academics are not allowed into Iraq, which makes it difficult to direct a field-based project," he says.
Warner and his team overcame this obstacle by meeting with Iraqi professors and students in other countries.
By winter 2008, the wetlands were almost restored. But last winter was particularly dry. As well, Iraq and other countries upstream built several dams, cutting off the water supply and causing the wetlands to retreat back to nearly their low levels of 2003.
Even though the wetlands suffered a setback, Warner remains optimistic.
"Our research proves that if there's water, the wetlands can return," he says. "We have trained excellent people who now have the know-how to restore them, which is a great ecological legacy."
- More information about Dr. Barry Warner
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Department of Biology
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