Marine biodiversity under threat

Growing prosperity together with an increasing population in the Gulf states is exacting a heavy toll on coastal marine life in the Arabian Gulf, experts heard at a marine environmental conference this week. To limit further damage in the UAE, experts called for the expansion of protected marine areas along the UAE coastline. They also suggested a coordinated plan by all GCC countries to counter marine damage and streamline environmental stewardship into a unified approach to save remaining marine life areas. "Coral reefs protect the coastline from erosion and inundation and are a focus for recreational activities such as diving and fishing. Compounds derived from coral reef organisms have even been used in pharmaceutical products," said Thabit Al Abdul Salam, director of the biodiversity management sector at Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi, at the opening of the International Conference on Marine Life in the Arabian Gulf. Economical prosperity, population growth, overfishing, and heavy commercial maritime shipping across the Arabian Gulf — 20 per cent of the world's oil passes through the Gulf daily — has contributed to a potentially irreversible decline in the health of fragile coral reefs. "Over 70 per cent of the 3,800 square kilometres of coral reef in the Gulf has been lost and only three per cent of reefs are considered to be relatively undamaged," Dr John Burt, assistant Professor of Biology at NYUAD told Gulf News. A report by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health shows that "the unprecedented scale of economic growth in the region and the significant development along the coastlines of many Gulf countries is putting pressure on coastal ecosystems. This has contributed to considerable degradation of natural habitats, including mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs and marine life." "These ecosystems provide a variety of ecological services and act as nursery habitats for many of the commercially important fisheries species in the region," Dr Burt, a co-author, of the report said. "Coral reefs are the first ecosystem to have shown large scale impacts of climate change. The increase in the frequency and duration of positive sea surface temperature anomalies and associated bleaching and mass mortality has had a catastrophic effect on coral reefs around the world. Other threats to coral reefs include the damaging impacts of coastal development, eutrophication and over-exploitation. Given the synergistic effects of these stressors, the prognosis for the future is alarming and a critical global issue," Abdul Salam said. The coral reefs in Abu Dhabi have not escaped the impacts of climate change and coastal development. "Over the past decade there has been increasing pressure on these ecosystems as human populations grew in coastal urban areas around the Gulf. Our report focuses on a number of stressors affecting coastal ecosystems in the Gulf, including modification and loss of natural habitats through coastal development, discharge of industrial, agricultural/aquacultural, and domestic effluents and wastewater, as well as over-exploitation of marine resources through fisheries, along with natural stressors such as climate change and red tides due to harmful algal blooms. As a result of the cumulative effects of these multiple stressors there have been impacts to natural coastal ecosystems in the Gulf," Dr Burt added. The report was produced by a team of researchers including members of the NYU Abu Dhabi. They have been studying marine biology in the Gulf since 2007 and believe coastlines across the Arabian Peninsula are facing similar challenges to their marine environments. "Therefore in the last decade we have declared the largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the region, the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve. Today, more than 13 per cent of our marine biome has a protected status and two thirds of the coral reefs of Abu Dhabi fall within our MPAs," Abdul Salam said. The impact of oil production, oil spills, heavy ship traffic, uncontrolled chemical dumping and construction projects in and around the Arabian Gulf cause water pollution and is likely to have an adverse effect on marine and other wildlife in this region. The report proposes research-based, collaborative management plans, across all GCC nations need to be developed to protect the Gulf's marine ecosystems. It includes recommendations on improved waste management and pollution prevention. "There is a need to set up a Gulf-based transnational regulatory and enforcement framework backed by data and research. There needs to be a balance between meeting the needs of a developing economy and managing the impact on the marine environment," Dr Burt said.