Mass turtle deaths strike Iraq's marshes as drought tightens grip

Shafaq News – Dhi Qar

A mass die-off of turtles has hit parts of Iraq’s marshes, where a severe drought is devastating one of the country's most fragile and biodiverse ecosystems.

Raad al-Asadi, director of the Chibayish Organization for Tourism and Environment in Dhi Qar, told Shafaq News on Saturday that over 80% of the marshlands are now completely dry, with only a few isolated water channels clinging to life under the relentless heat.

Amid the deepening crisis, his team had documented the deaths of hundreds of turtles across the drying wetlands. “We also tracked the migration of others toward the Euphrates River, desperately seeking water sources,” he added.

The Mesopotamian Marshes—once a flourishing cradle of civilization and now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site—have faced repeated ecological shocks from intensifying climate change and declining water flows from upstream nations, pushing the region’s unique ecosystem to the brink.

Last summer, the endangered Euphrates softshell turtle was seen abandoning the parched wetlands in large numbers, wandering into roads and residential areas in search of cooler air and water.