Nature Iraq

The draining of the Iraqi marshes by Saddam Hussein in the 1990s was considered at the time a devastating ecological - as well as a humanitarian crisis. The marshes have been occupied for thousands of years, but resistance to the Saddam regime by the marsh Arabs led to a terrible punishment, leaving tens of thousands homeless and destroying a unique ecosystem. When Saddam fell, the dykes were broken, and there are signs that the marshes may recover some of their former glory. But recording the wildlife that's returning is an extremely dangerous business.