This book is the result of a four-year research project (2007-2011) carried out by Med-INA, the Mediterranean Institute on Nature and Anthropos with the financial support of the MAVA Foundation.

The project concerned mainly the implementation in the Mediterranean Region of the Ramsar Guidance on Culture and Wetlands, disseminated in late 2008. Analysing various sectors of human activities and more than 20 wetland sites, the book investigates the benefits that can result from following the objectives and actions proposed by the Ramsar Guidance.

The photographic exhibition Eden: Marshlands of Mesopotamia took place in the framework of the Rodos Ecofilms Festival, 20-25 June 2006.
Thirty seven color prints with portraits of Marsh Arabs, village life, wildlife and landscapes taken during a Biodiversity Survey organised in 2005 were displayed in the exhibition. The photographer, Mr Mudhafar Salim participated in the Survey undertaken as part of a Canada-Iraq Marshlands Initiative (CIMI) to restore the wetland.

“We must not forget that biodiversity is central to many of the world’s cultures, the source of legend
and myth, the inspiration for art and music”

The purpose of this publication is to encourage the incorporation of cultural values in the management of wetlands, in accordance with Ramsar Resolutions VIII.19 and IX.21, thus creating better conditions for their conservation and the sustainable use of their resources.
Papayannis, T. (2008), Action for Culture in Mediterranean Wetlands, Med-INA, Athens, Greece