Climate
Climate, Iraqi Street
INVASIVE WATER HYACINTHS CLOGGING IRAQ’S RIVERS: But could the pest be put to good use?
By Murtada Al-Hudood in Dhi Qar // Dawn on the Euphrates River in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. Fisherman Abu Hussein pushes his small wooden boat into the water. For years, he has made this journey, searching for the best place to cast his nets. More recently though, his fishing trips have changed. Large…
Climate, Iraqi Street
MYSTERY OF THE DOLPHINS OF SHATT AL-ARAB: Iraqi researchers call for better monitoring of marine life
By Saad Nazem in Basra // For decades, sailors navigating Iraq's territorial waters have regularly seen dolphins accompanying them on their journeys. Aysar al-Bahar, a sea captain who has spent more than 40 years on the job, recalls how groups of dolphins approach vessels and swim alongside them, sometimes even for longer distances. This still…
Climate, Iraqi Street
THE MARSH BIRD AND THE BUFFALO SKULL: A Maysan environmentalist fights for Iraq’s marshlands
By Mahdi al-Saadi // In the marshes of southern Iraq, local man Ahmed al-Saadi is known for carrying a buffalo skull around. He lifts it high during protests, public gatherings and environmental campaigns in an attempt to remind observers what the lack of water is doing to Iraq's distinctive wetlands and the creatures that live…
Climate, Iraqi Street
WET, WARM AND WANTED: How water buffalo herding became an Iraqi Kurdish success story
By Salam Hanadni in Said Sadiq // On the Shahrizor plains, near the city of Said Sadiq in northern Iraq, four families farm around 500 water buffaloes — no mean feat in a place where summer temperatures regularly hit 47 degrees Celsius. Farming water buffalo is a very specific type of agriculture and requires a…
