Registering Wetlands of South Iraq in the National Heritage List is for Saving Human Cultures and Global Environmental Balance

Abstract

Wetland of South Iraq (locally called Ahwar) are discussed in this study for their evolution, natural characteristics, human settlements and their development to evolve first world civilization as well as their use in present days with case studies to correlate their character for including the site in the world heritage list. Correlations of the characteristics of this site with the unesco criteria of 2005 for selection to be included on the world heritage list are performed in this study. It is concluded from these correlations that this site is of outstanding universal value that meets at least four unesco criteria of criteria's 10, 9, 7 and 2 for inclusion on the world heritage list. Accordingly, this site holds the best assessments for inclusion in the world heritage list of mainly natural with cultural archeological materials of the first world civilization under their sediments, and hence should be included