Ghosts of Iraq's Marshes

Steve Lonergan is professor emeritus in the Department of Geography, at the University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada, and former director of the Science Division at the United Nations Environment Programme. From 2006 to 2010, he led the Canadian-Iraq Marshlands Initiative, funded by the Canadian government. His books include Watershed: The Role of Fresh Water in the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict (with David B. Brooks, 1994).Jassim Al-Asadi is an Iraqi engineer and environmental activist who was born in the marshes of southern Iraq. He played a pivotal role in the registration of the Marshes as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2016.Contributing author Keith Holmes is a geospatial scientist at the Hakai Institute in Victoria, BC, Canada. He is one of the authors of The Atlas of the Iraqi Marshes, published by the Canadian-Iraq Marshlands Initiative.

"A stunningly lyrical evocation of the marshes of southern Iraq and the people who call them home. . . .Weaving poetry and environmental science, political analysis and ancient history, mythology and hydrology, the book is at once an edifying and captivating tale about a region threatened yet again by human failures, now in the form of climate change."—Foreign Affairs"The book has beautiful prose and illustrations, [the authors] weave together the wetland civilization's history, traditions, and mythology with gripping and dramatic tales from individuals’ lives in the present."—Journal of Peace Research“Filled with personal anecdotes and perhaps serving as a part-memoir for Al-Asadi, who quite literally was born in the marshes, the book weaves together stories of love and loss, military activities, and political context to offer a well-rounded account of the natural and cultural history of the marshes.”—Environment and Security“The Ghosts of Iraq’s Marshes is a revelation. With compelling accounts of both human and natural history, the authors paint an indelible portrait of an ecosystem that shaped a people and the cruel attempt to destroy it. At its heart is a personal story of loss and endurance, as well as a cautionary tale of all we stand to lose when water is used as a weapon.”—Brian Payton, author of The Wind Is Not a River “This marvelous book delivers a comprehensive view of the marshes of southern Iraq: from their fabled history and contributions to world civilization, to their current challenges and possible futures. Wonderfully written, it weaves the life of Jassim al-Asadi, one of the marshes most prominent and fiercest defenders, through the compelling story of the region’s turbulent recent history. Emotionally gripping, and beautifully illustrated, the book gives the reader an insider’s insight into the competing politics and economic priorities which threaten the very existence of the marshes and the unique Marsh Arab culture, one of the world’s oldest, totally ecologically attuned to their green watery world.” —Mark Nelson, Institute of Ecotechnics“This remarkable book is a unique compilation that positions Jassim Al Asadi’s compelling personal and heroic story as an alternative to Iraq’s fractious historical record of social, environmental, and cultural injustice. Poetically framed by mythic legends and water stories, the story of the Marsh Arabs and the Mesopotamian Marshes is a guidepost for environmental renewal. Jassim Al Asadi has given so many of us hope that environmental and cultural activism will create a new Iraq and that his beloved Marshes will survive.” —Meridel Rubenstein, Eden in Iraq Wastewater Garden Project"In The Ghosts of Iraq’s Marshes, Steve Lonergan and Jassim al-Asadi dive into the destruction of the Mesopotamian Marshes."—The Globe and Mail"The marshes of Iraq have survived for millennia but have been critically threatened in the past century, thanks to mankind."—Al Jazeera