During the first Gulf War, Saddam Hussein systematically drained what had once been one of the world’s largest and most spectacular marshes. Hundreds of thousands of marsh dwellers were displaced as the land was almost completely dried up, killing fish and other wildlife and vegetation. Azzam Alwash who founded “Eden Again,” one of several organizations dedicated to restoring the marshland, talks to Steve Curwood about the recent developments in southern Iraq and why there’s reason for hope.
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