Tens of millions of birds disappearing now in North America (CBC video clip)

Both the Iran–Iraq war, which ran from 1980 to 1988, and the 1990–1991 Gulf War were “incredibly” destructive of bird habitat, he affirmed.

“One of the main battlegrounds of the Iran–Iraq War was the Mesopotamian marshes, one of the most important bird areas of the Middle East. Vast areas of reedbeds were burnt and wetlands were drained. Subsequent to the Gulf War, vast areas of what was left were drained. Some 90% of this 15 000 km2 wetland has been ruined, equivalent to an area two-thirds of the size of the Kruger National Park.”

During the Gulf War, the world’s largest oil spill ever also obliterated millions of hectares of mudflats in the Persian Gulf. The destruction of this fragile ecosystem was total, Underhill said.

“These wetlands and mudflats are critically important stop over and refuelling sites for virtually all species of birds on migration through the region. Most of the Middle East is pretty arid, and a lot of it is simply inhospitable desert. The scattered patches which are not desert represent the most productive areas, and hence become both the feeding grounds for the migrating birds and the battle grounds for the armies.”

Underhill maintains that the picture of migration that we should have in our minds is not a continuous route along which birds can feed anywhere that takes their fancy. Rather, the picture should be a series of stepping stones which are linked by “hops” of varying lengths.

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