He also founded Nature Iraq, the first environmental conservation group in the country which tackles trans-boundary water issues, water policy and advocates for the reduction of dams causing damage to rivers and their communities. His efforts to restore the marshes in southern Iraq, which were destroyed during Saddam Hussein’s regime, earned him the Goldman Environmental Prize. The Waterkeepers Iraq – a member of the broader Waterkeeper Alliance – was started as a project within Nature Iraq. Through this Azzam and Nature Iraq aim for cooperation on water and energy management, to create conditions that will lead to economic cooperation regionally and reduce tensions in the Middle East.