Maha Saad Shareef

• Biodiversity Journal, 15 (4): 803-812

  Mohsin Madlol Mohmmed, Ansam Saad Al-Khafaji & Maha Saad Shareef
  The Effect of Drought on the Biodiversity of Sawa Lake (Iraq)
  https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2024.15.4.803.812

  ABSTRACT
  The research was performed in the Sawa Lake region, situated in the southwestern part of Samawa City, in the central portion of Muthanna Province (Iraq). Because of its shallow nature, the lake was deemed a favorable environment for the development of biodiversity before the drought. Biodiversity is a crucial natural asset of the lake, and the loss of any form of biodiversity would result in the ecosystem’s inability to recover and disrupt its natural equilibrium, Sawa Lake was designated as an international wetland by the Central Committee of the International Ramsar Convention on September 15, 2015, after satisfying all necessary environmental and hydrological standards. However, it has been severely impacted by rapid changes and a substantial decrease in water levels, resulting in the loss of large biodiversity species. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of drought on the lake’s biological ecosystem. This was achieved by field observations conducted by the researchers in the study region, as well as by analyzing data from previously published studies and research on this topic. Before the drought, the lake and its surrounding areas included the following living organisms: 1 fish, 4 mammals, 2 reptiles, 16 birds, 9 plants, and 63 phytoplankton belonging to five different categories. Most of these organisms have now disappeared due to changed environmental conditions.

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