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WE’RE COMMITED TO TACKLING SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES.

Strengthening coastal ecosystems with
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Our collaborative, real-world approach in action

Restoring destroyed marshlands in Iraq

Coastal Sustainability Institute / Nahant, MA

Problem

A rare marsh ecosystem, with an untold number of animal species, was destroyed in 1993 when Saddam Hussein diverted the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to punish an opposition group—draining, burning, and poisoning the marshes.

Solution

Northeastern researchers joined Iraqi scientists to assess the damage, help restore the marshes, and implement biodiversity monitoring.

See how we did it
See how we did it

Our collaborative, real-world approach in action

Restoring destroyed marshlands in Iraq

Coastal sustainability Institute / Nahant, MA

Problem

A rare marsh ecosystem, with an untold number of animal species, was destroyed in 1993 when Saddam Hussein diverted the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to punish an opposition group—draining, burning, and poisoning the marshes.

Solution

Northeastern researchers joined Iraqi scientists to assess the damage, help restore the marshes, and implement biodiversity monitoring.

Expert

Combining expertise in technology and policy

Brian Helmuth / Professor of Environmental Science and Public Policy

Helmuth’s research combines fieldwork, remote sensing, and mathematical modeling to study climate change’s effects on marine animals and its likely ecological impact on coastal ecosystems. He’s made multiple trips to the region to collaborate with researchers in Iraq on restoration, biodiversity monitoring, and policy. He also helped his Iraqi colleagues obtain USAID funding to assist with a biodiversity monitoring plan.

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PARTNERSHIP

Forming a cross-cultural collaboration

Helmuth first met with scientists from the University of Basrah, which hosts Iraq’s only marine science program, in 2011. As their partnership grew, in 2019, Northeastern hosted two Iraqi scientists as part of a program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The two scientists learned to extract and preserve DNA samples, built sensors to take environmental measurements, and designed experiments to monitor specific species as indicators of environmental health. Their goal: to apply this new knowledge and experience back home to help revive the marshes.

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Research Institute

A hub for groundbreaking marine research and discovery

Helmuth is part of Northeastern’s Coastal Sustainability Institute at its campus in Nahant, Massachusetts, where researchers lead interdisciplinary solutions to coastal threats. Several institute faculty have become key partners, along with Helmuth, in helping the Iraq team develop natural and engineered solutions to keep the marshlands healthy.

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