Doha, Qatar: In the harsh heat and arid landscapes of Qatar, survival depends on adaptation — and the country’s biodiversity is uniquely suited to these challenging conditions.
From tenacious desert plants like the Kaff Maryam, or Mary’s Palm (Anastatica hierochuntica), which can stay closed and dry for years to protect its seeds, to mangrove trees that flourish in coastal waters, life in Qatar’s ecosystems is a delicate balance of endurance and resilience.
Yet even the most robust ecosystems are vulnerable to environmental pressures. To help protect them, Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future, in collaboration with partners, has undertaken a five-year mangrove restoration project aimed at safeguarding critical coastal habitats and expanding the native Avicennia marina mangrove cover. The initiative combines scientific research, community engagement, and hands-on restoration to ensure the long-term resilience of this vital ecosystem across the region.
Senior Biodiversity Specialist and Mangrove Restoration Project Manager at Earthna, Sara Abdul Majid said, “Mangroves are unique because they are the only trees in Qatar that can survive in the intertidal zone, flooded with seawater twice a day.
“While most trees cannot tolerate saline conditions, mangroves have adapted by filtering out most salt at the roots and releasing it on the underside of their leaves. These adaptations help them cope with salt. Mangrove forests also serve as nursery grounds for fish and invertebrates, providing structural complexity, food, and essential sediment and nutrient cycling.
“They also play a vital role in carbon capture, absorbing CO2 and methane (CH4), releasing oxygen into the atmosphere, and storing carbon in their tissues and surrounding sediment, where it can remain trapped for centuries. Some studies even suggest that marine mangrove forests can absorb up to four to five times more carbon than land rainforests. “Finally, they protect coastlines from erosion, acting as a natural barrier against wave action that shapes the shore, and helping to mitigate the impacts of rising sea levels.”
Launched in 2023 and backed by the MSC Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Qatar University, and AGRICO, a local organic farm, the project aims to restore and plant 40 hectares of coastline with mangrove trees – the equivalent of approximately 56 football pitches.
Earthna and AGRICO collect seeds between September and October, gathering 28,000 seeds in 2023 and a further 97,000 last year. The seedlings are then nurtured at AGRICO’s land-based nurseries, specifically designed for mangrove cultivation, before being transplanted to their final coastal sites, under the guidance of the project’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Aspa D. Chatziefthimiou.
Sara Abdul Majid said, “Mangrove seeds are highly sensitive – they are carefully collected by hand, sorted, weighed, soaked in seawater for up to 48 hours, and planted immediately thereafter. If they dry out, they become non-viable. The planting process is labour-intensive, but once established, the mangroves are self-sustaining.”
One of the project’s biggest challenges has been replicating the mangroves’ natural environment. Rather than using fresh and brackish water for spray irrigation, brackish well water is used to flood the seedling beds six days a week, achieving a 98 percent survival rate. Once the seedlings reach 50cm in height, they are ready to be transplanted to one of the designated sites: Al Aaliya Island, and coastal zones beside Zulal Wellness Resort and Al Ruwaydah.
While this is not the first mangrove restoration initiative in the region – several neighbouring countries have launched similar efforts – Earthna hopes to develop a best practice guide that can be adopted across multiple nations, especially those in arid lands.
The Earthna specialist emphasised the importance of conserving natural ecosystems, saying: “If we don’t care for or address the needs of biodiversity, the consequences could be severe. In the worst-case scenario, ecosystems could collapse, as they have in the past.
“Specific to mangrove forests, 50 percent of their cover is projected to be lost by 2050 if we don’t actively protect and restore them.
“It’s actually quite alarming – we could lose natural shading, face disruptions to our food systems, and see impacts on every aspect of our existence. That’s why it’s so important to protect biodiversity and sustain the species and habitats that support life on Earth.
“And we must also value and care for nature for its own sake, not solely for the benefits it provides to humans.”
