There, nearly 20, 000 ecologists arrived from nearly 200 nations to find ways to stem the tide of ecological destruction occurring around the world.

FORBES: Japan's Tragedy: Global Ecological Uncertainty

Through their livelihoods based on slash and burn agriculture, fishing and hunting, they have both shaped the local ecological system and sheltered it from destruction.

UNESCO: EDUCATION

"The near-total destruction of the Iraqi marshlands under the regime of Saddam Hussein was a major ecological and human disaster, robbing the Marsh Arabs of a centuries-old culture and way of life as well as food in the form of fish and that most crucial of natural resources, drinking water, " according to Klaus Toepfer, the agency's executive director, whose comments are included in the report.

CNN: U.N.: Iraq's marshlands recovering