The Mesopotamian marshes of southern Iraq had been all but destroyed by Saddam Hussein’s regime by the year 2000. Previous assessments suggested that poor water quality, the presence of toxic materials, and high saline soil conditions in the drained marshes would prevent their ecological restoration and doom the reestablishment of the Marsh Arab culture of fishing and agriculture. However, the high volume of good-quality water entering the marshes from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, a result of two record years of snow pack melt in Turkey and Iran, allowed 39% of the former marshes to be reflooded by September 2005. Although reflooding does not guarantee restoration success, our recent field surveys have found a remarkable rate of reestablishment of native flora and fauna in the reflooded marshes.  A biotic 2004-2005 survey indicated that most macrophyte, macroinvertebrate, fish, and bird species were returning to the restored marshes, although densities were low compared to historical records.  Soil chemistry analysis suggest that reflooded and drained marsh areas can be restored, but some locations will have excessive salt accumulation problems, toxic elements, and severe water quality degradation, with a concomitant loss of native marsh vegetation. It is imperative that these areas be identified so that the limited water supplies can be used to restore those areas with the most promise for full restoration.  An Ecological Functional Assessment method (EFA) indicates that the Al-Hawizeh is 60% of historic values, while the reflooded Suq Al-Shuyukh and Al- Hammar reach 54% and 49% of historic levels. However, the future availability of water for restoration is in question, which suggests that only a portion of the former marshes may be restored. Also, landscape connectivity between marshes is greatly reduced, causing concern about local species extinctions and lower diversity in isolated wetlands.