Iraqis help British birds

This video from England is called Cley Marshes land purchase appeal.

From BirdLife:

Nature Iraq helps UK wildlife

Tue, Sep 18, 2012

Nature Iraq (BirdLife Partner), the leading wildlife conservation NGO in Iraq, is very pleased to make a donation of $1000 to Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s appeal to purchase 58 ha of land next to Cley Marshes, Norfolk, England. Nature Iraq has received much help from colleagues in the UK, especially through BirdLife International, and makes this donation as an act of global support for the protection of marshes.

Azzam Alwash, president of Nature Iraq, who has stayed in Cley during visits to England said, “Nature Iraq has received great support from international organisations for the conservation of our famous Mesopotamian Marshes. This small token to support the extension of Cley Marshes is to honour that support and show our brotherly care for the environment everywhere.”

Brendan Joyce, CEO of Norfolk Wildlife Trust said, ”I am touched by the generosity of Nature Iraq in helping us to acquire the land which will join Cley and Salthouse Marshes together, especially given their own struggle to restore damaged ecosystems in their own country. I knew that our appeal would attract attention and support from far and wide, but this was an unexpected surprise. We are delighted to receive this support from Iraq which makes us feel bonded in a common cause in the conservation of wildlife and wild places.”

On the new land, Norfolk Wildlife Trust will create more reed bed, grazing marsh and freshwater for the rare Western Marsh-harriers, Great Bitterns, Bearded Parrotbills and Pied Avocets which live at Cley Marshes; for the countless thousands of migratory birds which use it; and for the 100,000 people who visit each year.

It is really moving to read about the generosity of these Iraqis, most of whom are very poor after the devastation of the war brought to them by George W Bush and Tony Blair. A war which killed over a million Iraqis, destroyed archeological monuments, and damaged Iraq’s nature and environment.

I really think that now much more money than this Iraqi gift of $1000 should go the other way, from Britain or from the USA to Iraq, to save wildlife there. Not primarily money of British or US conservationists (many of whom are not that rich), but primarily money from the sky high military budgets and war profiteering corporations‘ profits, to make them repair some of the damage which they have done to Iraq.

Washington has stepped up threats to cut off aid to Iraq over its alleged complicity in Iranian arms shipments to Syria: here.

Iraqi-American is imprisoned by US for saving his family from US sanctions: here.

US Special Forces deployed in Iraq, again: here.