DOHA: The General Directorate of Natural Reserves Private Engineering Office (PEO) and ExxonMobil Research Qatar (EMRQ) signed a memorandum of understanding, officiating their collaborative research to protect Qatar’s ecology.
The MoU, which was signed by Research Director Dr Jennifer Dupont on behalf of EMRQ, and Nawaf Jabr Al Nuaimi for Jaber Bin Abdullah Al Attiyah, Director General of The General Directorate of Natural Reserves Private Engineering Office, provides a collective framework for the research and resources needed to fulfill long-term goals of increasing knowledge about marine habitats and species in the State of Qatar.
As per the MoU, EMRQ will leverage existing information gathered with its research partners, Qatar University (QU) and Texas A&M at Galveston, on the local population of dugongs (marine mammals). The MoU enables EMRQ to provide PEO with technical advice, scientific data and technology transfer.
“ExxonMobil Research Qatar is extremely pleased to announce its partnership with the General Directorate of Natural Reserves Private Engineering Office to help gather robust science in support of establishing a Qatari Dugong Management Plan,” said Dr. Jennifer Dupont, Research Director for EMRQ.
“The General Directorate of Natural Reserves Private Engineering Office is looking forward to further fruitful collaboration with ExxonMobil Research Qatar,” said Nawaf Jabr Al-Nuaimi Office Manager, Director General office.
Qatar is home to the largest population of dugongs outside of Australia with two of the three most important regions in the Arabian Gulf. As mammals with a low reproductive output, dugongs are listed as Vulnerable to Extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Currently, dugongs in Qatar face challenges including incidental fishing and habitat degradation. The extreme marine and physical environment of the Arabian Gulf, as well as the northern limit of dugong distribution, likely means that their life-history differs from populations in Australia. The Peninsula
