Doha: As coral reefs worldwide, including in the waters of Qatar and the Arabian Gulf, die off due to several factors, including climate change, investing and inserting artificial corals can serve as a habitat for marine wildlife to thrive and prevent a dead zone in the Arabian Gulf, an expert has said.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Laurent Lambert, Assistant Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said corals dying has decreased marine habitat for wildlife. Prof Lambert noted that as coral reefs die off in the Arabian Gulf, marine wildlife and the species that live in it and cannot live elsewhere are at risk. He said when all of this is under the compounded stress of climate change, increasing temperatures during marine heatwaves, overfishing, and marine pollution create a toxic environment for marine life. Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and they protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide habitat for marine life and absorb the excess carbon dioxide in the water.
“We may have what are called dead zones that become larger and larger and eventually take over most if not all of the Arabian Gulf,” Prof Lambert said.
He stressed that having a gulf with no fish stock, very little or no coral, and very few living species, means the Gulf could become a dead zone and pose a challenge to food security. Dead zones are areas of water bodies where aquatic life cannot survive because of low oxygen levels.
“So, fish stock now is much reduced compared to previous decades. If the government takes no proper action over the next years, then we eventually risk having a dead gulf in one or two decades,” Prof. Lambert said.
“This is very serious because this is the food security of coastal populations. Besides, this is also a cultural and natural heritage. A lot is at stake, and action has to be taken now.”
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body, reports disclosed that the last refuges for the world’s ailing coral reefs could decline by 70 to 90% if global warming exceeds 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Prof. Lambert mentioned that the world is already at 1.1 and stressed that reaching 1.5 is plausible.
“We have done most of it already and unfortunately can be reached within 10 to 20 years. So have to change the amount of pollutants (greenhouse gases) rapidly so that we don’t reach this important threshold of 1.5 too early,” he added.
In Qatar, coral reefs represent one of the Arabian region’s most biologically and socio-economically critical natural assets. According to officials, Qatar shares 48% of the total population of coral reefs in the Arabian Gulf region and attaches great importance to programmes that support the preservation of biodiversity. In 2021, Qatar University announced it had deployed what it called ‘Mushroom Forest’ which are artificial reefs that are farmed indoors and then deployed to the sea.
Prof. Lambert disclosed that several projects in Qatar are ongoing to regenerate some areas deeply affected by coral bleaching, adding that their ability to withstand environmental stress makes them perfect for mitigating the problem.
“There are several initiatives and research projects, but the critical idea is to insert artificial coral reefs. So, if we want artificial structures like coral reefs that can serve as a habitat for marine wildlife, it would be imperative because these artificial ones do not die when temperature increases.
“They are not as affected by other forms of pollution. So, they are more resilient. So, this is very important for corals and marine life, including fishes, to thrive again, at least to regenerate enough so they don’t disappear. This has been supported by the government very much, and I would even call for greater funding of such very promising research initiatives in Qatar,” he added.
