Effects of mesopotamian marsh (iraq) desiccation on the cultural knowledge and livelihood of marsh arab women

Abstract

In this study, we evaluate ecological and cultural resiliency in response to desertification of the Mesopotamian Marshes of Southern Iraq. Our research illustrates that the desiccation of the marshes has caused a drastic change in how Marsh Arab women interact with their environment; specifically, in comparison to the predesiccation period, women’s roles are increasingly limited to domestic rather than marsh‐dependent activities. With the exception of raising water buffalo and limited horticulture activities, most families today have little opportunity to utilize women’s ability to generate income by applying their traditional ecological knowledge and skills. Furthermore, these women are no longer transmitting their marsh‐specific knowledge and skills to the next generation, and these valuable and ancient cultural memories are being lost. Upstream dam construction, drought, and regional climate change is depriving Marsh Arab communities of marsh ecosystem services such as potable water, water buffalo forage, fish yields, and reed production. In marsh areas, where enough water remains to sustain ecosystem services (such as in Chibayish and the Iraq Marshlands National Park), cultural knowledge has been retained and passed on to the next generations. We recommend that programs be implemented to preserve these traditional skills, to develop a market for handicrafts to support women and their families, and to support cultural knowledge. Otherwise, with the passing of the older generation, these remnants of ancient Sumerian knowledge systems and traditional ways of life will soon be forgotten.