Classification of The Key Functional Diversity of the Marshes of Southern Iraq Marshes

Abstract The term “marshes” refers to the wetlands that are almost of shallow water with relatively dense plant cover, mainly of prominent plants (such as Phragmytes and Typha ), or other submerged plants. The marshes of Southern Iraq (Ahwar) are of unique environmental and cultural features that rarely meet in similar habitats worldwide.. They are the most distinctive wetlands in Southwest Asia and worldwide as well. in some times in the past, these wetlands used to cover more than 15,000 km 2 , however, now it consists of less than this area. Functional diversity is fundamentally considered as a guide to comprehend the nature of ecosystem work. Despite the possession of the marshes of Southern Iraq for many major and minor functions, no study to determine the function diversity of this area was conducted. The present study aims to classify the major functions of the Iraqi marshlands, and then to develop a general framework to determine the extent of the decrease or increase in those functions as a result of the different influences. Also, the current study provides the criteria in preparing estimates for Iraqi marshes rehabilitation programs.