The
Hawizeh Marshes are a complex of marshes that straddle the
Iraq and
Iran border. The marshes are fed by two branches of the
Tigris River (the Al-Musharrah and Al-Kahla) in
Iraq and
Karkheh River in
Iran. The Hawizeh marsh is critical to the survival of the
Central and
Hammar marshes, which also make up the
Mesopotamian Marshes, because they are a refuge for species that may recolonize or reproduce into the other marshlands. The Hawizeh Marshes are drained by the Al-Kassarah. This river plays a critical role in maintaining the marshes as a flow-through system and preventing it from becoming a closed saline basin.