Meet the scientists calling for urgent action to protect Gulf waters

In the clear warm waters of the Gulf, scientists in 2017 confirmed for the first time that killer whales were present in waters off Iran. 

A year earlier, Iraq's first coral reef was found and in 2018 scientists published a study confirming that dugongs were thriving in the Gulf, migrating in herds of up to 500.

"None of the governments in the Gulf is working together which is really needed because you can't control the environment without collaboration"

The fact that Gulf waters can have twice the salinities as regular oceans – due in part to global warming and desalination – and host some of the busiest shipping routes in the world, have made these discoveries all the more remarkable for scientists. 

With sea life competing for space with oil tankers, gas platforms, fishing boats, and desalination plants, it has made the race to save the Gulf's surprisingly rich biodiversity even all the more critical. 

A group of leading marine biologists and scientists from across the region have now called on Gulf states and researchers to work together on data sharing and use science diplomacy to save the waters. 

"Over-exploitation of fish stocks, a proliferation of desalination plants, and pollution are some of the areas regional governments need to address urgently"

"None of the governments in the Gulf is working together which is really needed because you can't control the environment without collaboration," said Professor Nadia Al-Mudaffar Fawzi, Biological Development of Shatt Al-Arab & N. Arabian Gulf, Marine Science Centre, and one of the authors of a paper on the issue. 

"Ultimately, we, as Gulf states, are starting to see that we did not put enough resources, efforts, and biological resources into protecting the Gulf waters as we could have. Without working collaboratively, I do not think we will be successful – we need to collaborate with our neighbours."

An article published in Science journal last month by 22 scientists from across the Gulf and further afield urged regional governments to do more to meet ambitious environmental targets. 

"If the governments aren't working together then maybe we as scientists can bring issues to their attention. When we get together and talk we realise that across the Gulf we face the same issues – social impacts, environmental changes, and climate change – and this all impacts on biodiversity," said the Iraqi scientist. 

"If you are working in a very small area and not working collaboratively then you cannot protect your waters because they are impacted by the action of others." 

Over-exploitation of fish stocks, a proliferation of desalination plants, and pollution – as well as recently discovered dead zones – are some of the areas regional governments need to address urgently, the scientists say. 

War and political differences have also hindered efforts on collaboration so far –Iraqi scientists were largely unable to access the Gulf until recently, for example.

Promising political developments offer hope that scientists and ministries can begin to work together on environmental issues that affect all states in the region.  

Commitments from some countries to protect 30%  of land and sea by 2030 – so-called peace parks – would offer a safe habitat for biodiversity to thrive.

"We thought that if a concerted effort from all the Gulf states to protect one area, then it might encourage all countries to protect the whole Gulf"

The scientists say the most effective way to protect marine life is to introduce large transnational protected areas but this would require the cooperation of different governments. 

"We thought that if a concerted effort from all the Gulf states to protect one area, then it might encourage all countries to protect the whole Gulf," said Al-Mudaffar Fawzi. 

"This would bring scientists together and communities would begin to see the benefits of having these protected areas." 

The local knowledge and experience needed to make these peace parks happen already exist, but what is required now, said Dr Clare Fieseler, a marine ecologist from the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, is the support and collaboration of governments. 

"Because of geopolitics in the region, there hasn't been much collaboration between neighbouring countries in the same way you might find between an American and Canadian scientist," Fieseler told The New Arab.

"When we talked about sharing information of marine diversity in the Gulf, the conversations kept circling back to diplomacy and building trust.

"Also, there is a sense that scientists can do a lot more as diplomats than they think they can, so we wrote two papers that lay out why the Gulf is in such need of conservation protection."

Fieseler, who previously worked in Qatar, said that the working group includes scholars from across the region – from Saudi Arabia to Iran – who are all eager to work together and share their expertise. 

"They are saying, 'enough is enough, we want to work together, we want to collaborate, share data, and establish large, protected areas of the Gulf – ideally peace parks – which span neighbouring countries, and we want to start now'," Fieseler said. 

"I think diplomacy is a much larger piece of the conservation puzzle than is talked about or acknowledged in peer-reviewed literature and UN conference halls, so it is important for this group to bring it to the attention of Science journal, the leading scientific journal in the world." 

"Among the wildlife, most in need of protection are dugongs – or sea cows – with the Gulf home to the second-largest population in the world"

The Smithsonian Institution offers a perfect neutral space for these efforts, providing immense expertise, large databases on biodiversity and natural history, and convening power, Fieseler added. 

Among the wildlife, most in need of protection are dugongs – or sea cows – with the Gulf home to the second-largest population in the world.

There is another recently discovered marine life that is in need of urgent attention. 

"We are still discovering new species and habitats in the Gulf. In 2016, our lead author (Fawzi) was part of a team that discovered Iraq's only coral reef. Before that, we had no idea Iraq even had a coral reef.

"There have also been killer whale sightings in Iran’s waters in 2017 – prior to that scientists weren’t completely sure they were there," she said. 

"While this area is in decline, the experts on this team know there is so much more to discover and protect.

"The paper is a call to action by scientists for international funders to fund Gulf-wide studies, on international groups to help plan for transboundary marine parks, and on each other to start sharing data in order to make sure there are sea cows and dolphins that persist in the Gulf." 

Paul McLoughlin is a senior news editor at The New Arab. 

Follow him on Twitter: @PaullMcLoughlin