World heritage dries up: The silent exodus of Iraq's Maxwell otter
Shafaq News/ Iraq's iconic southern marshes are drying up at an alarming rate, placing enormous strain on wildlife and forcing rare species like the smooth-coated otter—known locally as 'Maxwell'—to abandon their native habitat in search of survival. Among the worst-affected areas is Maysan province, where environmental degradation has reached critical levels due to persistent drought and severe water shortages.
This sharp ecological decline marks a tragic reversal from the optimism of 2016, when UNESCO recognized the marshes as a World Heritage Site. The designation celebrated the wetlands' remarkable biodiversity, symbolizing Iraq's pledge to preserve and restore one of the world's most unique ecosystems.
The Legend of Maxwell
Iraq is home to two otter species, one of which is the rare smooth-coated otter, now facing increasing peril. The Green Climate Organization has raised concerns over the dual threats of drought and illegal hunting, which are accelerating the species' disappearance from the Hawizeh Marsh.
'The first is the common otter (Lutra lutra), found along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers,' explained Mokhtar Khamees, executive director of the organization, in remarks to Shafaq News. 'The second is the smooth-coated otter, which is rarer, more valuable due to its distinctive fur, and found exclusively in the Hawizeh Marsh of Maysan.'
Khamees underscored that the presence of this otter played a major role in UNESCO's decision to designate the marshes as a heritage site. Yet despite its ecological and cultural significance, no official steps have been taken to safeguard the species or its habitat.
Environmental activist Mahdi al-Saadi noted that Iraqis refer to the smooth-coated otter as 'Maxwell,' a tribute to Scottish naturalist Gavin Maxwell, who encountered the species during a visit to the Hawizeh Marsh in the 1950s. During his expedition, Maxwell captured a male and a female otter and brought them to Scotland, naming them 'Mijbil' after a local meshhouf (canoe) operator, and 'Kahlaa,' after the Kahlaa subdistrict in Maysan where they were found. Today, a monument in Scotland commemorates the Iraqi origin of these animals, reinforcing their symbolic link to Iraq's southern wetlands.
Al-Saadi highlighted recent sightings of the Maxwell otter in central and northern parts of the country—an indication that the species is fleeing its traditional habitat. 'It has started to leave the Hawizeh Marsh in search of safer environments and more abundant food,' he observed in comments to Shafaq News, calling it a troubling sign of escalating ecological distress.
Dwindling & Trafficked
The deterioration of the marshes began in the 1990s with large-scale drainage operations. Once hailed as one of the most diverse wetland systems in the Middle East, the marshes have since been devastated by upstream dam construction in Turkiye and Iran, outdated irrigation infrastructure, and increasingly severe droughts linked to climate change.
Water levels in some areas have plummeted by as much as 90%, while salinity levels have risen above 6,000 parts per million, making the water uninhabitable for most aquatic life. According to Nature Iraq, a leading environmental NGO, fish populations have declined by 95%, and nearly 30% of water buffaloes have perished. The resulting economic losses to marshland communities have surpassed 17 billion Iraqi dinars, or roughly $11.3 million.
The human toll has been equally stark. Around 80% of the local population has been forced to relocate, severing ancestral ties to fishing, reed harvesting, and agriculture that have sustained generations.
Adding to the crisis is the threat of poaching. Al-Saadi identified illegal hunting as a major driver of the otter's decline. 'Their pelts are highly sought after and smuggled to Turkiye and Italy, where they are used in making high-end garments and leather bags.' Despite the existence of legal protections for endangered species, enforcement remains weak, allowing cross-border trafficking to flourish.
Plea for Lifeline
Environmental campaigner Ahmed Saleh Naama emphasized the need to properly distinguish the smooth-coated otter from similar-looking species. 'It is neither a beaver nor a river otter,' he clarified to Shafaq News. 'It is a unique ecological treasure that must be protected.' Officially classified as Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli, the Maxwell otter is one of Iraq's rarest mammals, with fewer than 200 individuals believed to remain in the wild.
Naama warned that without immediate action, Iraq is on track to lose the species altogether. He and other activists have consistently urged the government to establish a dedicated reserve for the smooth-coated otter and to restore sustainable water flows to the Maysan marshes.
Once sprawling across approximately 20,000 square kilometers, Iraq's southern wetlands are now reduced to fragmented and degraded patches. This collapse threatens more than just the otter—it endangers over 80 species of birds, fish, and mammals, and disrupts the lives of nearly 40,000 indigenous Marsh Arabs who depend on the ecosystem for their livelihoods.
Environmental experts are calling for an immediate nationwide rescue initiative to revive the marshes, ensure stable water flows from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and create protected zones for endangered species. They stress that preserving the Maxwell otter is not only a matter of saving a rare animal but also a symbol of protecting Iraq's natural and cultural heritage.
'Maxwell,' an expert argues, 'is more than an endangered animal. It is a living emblem of Iraq's ecological identity and a reminder of what is at stake if this unique wetland is allowed to vanish.'
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