Marshes of Iraq

This story was originally written up in Science, but since we can't link to them, I found it somewhere else (unfortunately without the graphic of how much and where destruction has happened):

"In one of the rare good news stories coming out of Iraq, the country’s almost-decimated wetlands have begun rebounding under the efforts of local residents and the new government in Iraq, monitored by an international team of scientists."

Indeed.
The Science article also mentions that it wasn't entirely Saddam's madness that led to the marshes' demise: the water is needed (and taken) by Syria, Iran, and upstream Iraqis. It was Saddam that pushed the ecosystem over the edge, and current efforts to restore it need to be aware of the complexities involved. Interestingly, a number of the local residents don't really want all of the marsh restored because of their current farming interests. This project will present a number of very interesting challenges, but also very hopeful prospects for the future of environmental, social and scientific progress in Iraq.