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Threats to The Middle East Biological diversity.

by Rohan Kapur | 20-05-2016 18:48 recommendations 0

This this report I will target to focus on Two threats posed to the Biological diversity of the Middle East

 

1.     Aquatic invasive species

 

The waters of the Arabian Gulf are shallow & evaporation rates are rather high. Salinity of the water is high, therefore marine habitat lives to its limit of tolerance. In this scenario an irresponsible human action can trigger a huge negative impact.

With more than 25, 000 oil tankers crossing through the Strait of Hormuz each year (Literathy et al., 2002), the introduction of aquatic invasive species via ballast water is considered one of the major threats facing the marine environment in the Arabian Gulf. Hamza (2006) reported several exotic phytoplankton and zooplankton species in water samples collected from ballast water tanks of a gas tanker stopped along the United Arab Emirates coastal area. Some of these exotic species, particularly dinoflagellate organisms, are linked to the red tide and fish kill that frequently reported in recent years in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (Hamza and Munawar, 2009).

 

 

In order to reduce this stress, Habshan–Fujairah oil pipeline was constructed to limit the Oil tankers movement in the Strait of Hormuz. This is 360 KM, 48 Inch pipeline commissioned on 15-Jul-2012. Its capacity is 1.5 Million Barrels per day. Efforts like this will greatly reduce the threats & bring in conservation. UAE has taken firm action.

 

2.     Red Tide [Extensive blooms]

 

Extensive blooms (i.e. red tides) have been causing severe ecological and economical impacts in the Arabian Gulf. For instance, the massive blooms affected the Arabian Gulf from August 2008 to May 2009 caused widespread fish kills, damaged coral reefs, restricted fishing activities, impacted tourism industry, and interrupted desalination operations. The 2008-2009 harmful algal blooms were associated with the dinoflagellate species Cochlodinium, which was the first time to be observed in the Arabian Gulf waters (Richlen et al., 2010).

 

 

Although ecosystems in the Arabian Gulf are adapted to extreme environmental conditions, anomalous sea-surface temperatures due to climatic changes may result in severe impacts on the integrity of theses vulnerable ecosystems. The massive bleaching and subsequent mortality of corals in the Arabian Gulf occurred in 1996 and 1998 with maximum sea-surface temperatures reaching 37.3 C and 38.0 C, respectively (Sheppard and Loughland, 2002 Burt et al., 2011). Although most of the Arabian Gulf countries were affected by these beaching events, Bahrain was the worst affected with an estimated overall loss of 97% of live corals. Recovery of Bahrain reefs was limited in the subsequent years due to continuing coastal developments that are associated with intensive dredging and reclamation (Burt et al., 2013). Additionally, warmer waters can also lead to oxygen depletion and suffocation of marine organisms. Higher temperatures where attributed to the massive fish mortalities along the coasts of Qatar (Al-Ansi et al., 2002).

 

Overfishing & overgrazing adds to this threats. The Middle East has introduced many legislations & drives to limit the impact. All is going towards right direction & with passage of time the impact will surely reduce

   

Reference: http://medomed.org, http://www.intechopen.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habshan%E2%80%93Fujairah_oil_pipeline

 
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8 Comments

  • Rohan Kapur says :
    Thanks, Asmita.
    Posted 15-02-2020 19:39

  • Asmita Gaire says :
    Greetings rohan
    I hope you are doing well

    Thank you so much for this report!
    Very well written and detailed report.

    I hope to read more from you!

    Green cheers
    Regards
    Asmita Gaire
    Posted 29-01-2020 19:53

  • Rohan Kapur says :
    Thanks Heonjun for your remarks. Alien species problem needs to be addressed.
    Posted 20-06-2016 00:40

  • Rohan Kapur says :
    Thanks Minjoo for your comments. Movement of oil tankers needs to be monitored.
    Posted 20-06-2016 00:39

  • says :
    Thanks Rohan! In regard to 'aquatic invasive species', these issues are commonly brought up on news table in many countries with sea coast. It is said that marine species are poured into vessel tanks when the ships fill up the bottom of the hull with water so not to lose balance on their journey, and when they arrive at a foreign dock and circulate water to keep the hull clean, those alien species are freely let out to the different eco system. If the damage is notable, there should be international regulation to fix this problem. Thanks for bringing it up on our site!
    Posted 24-05-2016 11:51

  • says :
    Rohan, thanks for specifying the threats into two, regarding biodiversity in the Middle East it was much easier to read and understand. When oil tanks cross the ocean, there needs careful observation about its negative effects towards marine species. Red tide is also a serious problem. Thanks for reporting and have a splendid day!
    Posted 23-05-2016 17:54

  • Rohan Kapur says :
    Dear Arushi, Also the Red Tide is equally disastrous. These threats are real and not limited to UAE. This pertains to whole of middle east
    Thanks for your comments.
    Posted 21-05-2016 12:54

  • Arushi Madan says :
    Indeed, Invasive plant species and overgrazing are the most serious threats to plant diversity in the UAE, according to research by the UAE University. Infact, the alien species could also introduce diseases to the ecosystem. Most of the invasive species spotted in the UAE are escaped pets or those released deliberately without much thought and also are introduced accidentally through cargo shipments as you said. Let's hope, UAE govt's ' Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations' will be effective in preventing the introduction, spread and establishment of aquatic invasive species.
    Thanks for the great report Rohan.
    Posted 20-05-2016 23:16

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