A lake near Irkaya Farm off the Abu Samra Road, about 50km west of Doha.
Over the last few decades, the environment of Arab countries in the Gulf has changed drastically. This can be attributed to several factors, including urbanisation, population growth, migration, soil transformation, and the steady loss of mangroves, oases, and wetlands.
Wetlands, in particular, are crucial against the urgent backdrop of a changing climate. Healthy wetlands provide people and the planet with various critical services – effectively, they offer nature-based solutions to manmade problems.
Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil or is present either at or near the soil’s surface all year or for varying periods during the year, including during the growing season. Inland wetlands include marshes, ponds, lakes, fens, rivers, floodplains, and swamps, while coastal wetlands include saltwater marshes, estuaries, mangroves, lagoons and even coral reefs.
On February 2, Qatar 's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change joined the rest of the world to celebrate World Wetlands Day. This marked the first year of observance as a United Nations international day, following its adoption by the UN General Assembly on August 30, 2021.
This year’s theme, ‘Wetlands Action for People and Nature,’ is a call to take action for wetlands and an appeal to invest financial, human, and political capital to save the world’s wetlands from disappearing and to restore those that have been degraded.
In a video message to mark the day, Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme, said, “When we protect, use wisely and restore wetlands, we safeguard what matters most because 4 billion people rely on the services that wetlands provide. Let’s use world wetlands day as a chance to reset our relationship with this critical and unbelievable ecosystem for the benefit of people and the planet.”
Several reports state that nearly 90% of the world’s wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s, and Earth is losing wetlands three times faster than forests. Yet, wetlands are critically important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, world economies, and more.
Sebkhas, mudflats, mangroves, and wadis are the dominant wetlands in the arid regions of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Coastal wetlands such as mangroves sequester carbon up to 55 times faster than tropical rainforests.
Wetlands in Qatar include Al Dhakira Mangrove, Al Aliyah Island, and Khor al Udeid. During dry seasons in arid regions, wetlands provide refuges for wildlife and supply water for communities and stock. Climate impacts to wetlands are happening faster than anticipated.
In an interview with The Peninsula, Dr. Essam Heggy, Director, Earth Science Program Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, stressed the importance of wetlands to Qatar in the face of changing global conditions. “The wetland ecosystem in Qatar is a measure of the stability and balance between different environmental and hydrological factors,” Dr. Heggy said.
“Changes in wetland surface and characteristics reflect the anthropogenic and natural changes that occur in our surroundings. Furthermore, wetlands are an important ecosystem for insects to reptiles and play an important role in the environmental sustainability of the peninsula and even its potential for food production.”
The Middle East is already suffering from considerable drought, which has seen several wetlands dry up, and additional environmental problems will exacerbate the situation further. According to a recent study, rising temperatures are likely to reduce water quantity and quality in the region.
According to Dr. Heggy, wetlands in Qatar might occupy a small area, but they do control a vital part of the environmental stability of the peninsula.
“For instance, as the soil dries up due to changes in wetlands more finer dust is emitted in windy days. The latter has health and economic impacts that are important as it increases the erosive aspect of our desert environments.”
Meanwhile, Qatar has shown its commitment to combating climate change, further capped by the recent formation of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the National Strategy for the Environment and Climate Change launch.
This strategy will enhance efforts to conserve, restore and protect biodiversity for healthy and resilient natural ecosystems. Qatar plans to save and manage more than 25% of its land area by 2030 and put restoration and protection plans for critical species, among other targets. Also, the strategy will ensure the sustainable and integrated management of all water resources. Qatar will reduce groundwater extraction by 60%, reduce daily household water consumption by a third and double desalination through reverse osmosis or more sustainable technologies.
Little research has been undertaken to understand and communicate the essential services provided by wetlands in Qatar and the need for conservation.
“There is a general concurrence that the excessive use of groundwater and some coastal degradation are established causes. We still have to investigate other ones, and there is a dire need for solid local research programs to achieve this objective. Our knowledge of the causes of the changes in wetlands and the physics behind their evolution in the hyper-arid environment is yet to improve before we draft policies,” Dr. Heggy added.
