Photo used for representation only
The Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar (AYCMQ), in partnership with three National Geographic explorers and supported by a National Geographic Society grant, has launched a citizen science programme and research package to track and digitise data on marine mammal stranding in Qatar.
The one-year project will merge ecological beach surveys, 3D digitisation, citizen science, and documentary photography.
According to a statement, National Geographic explorers Dr. Clare Fieseler, Dr. Nick Pyenson and Shah Selbe along with two AYCMQ board members, Neeshad Shafi, Executive Director and Dr. Sayeed Mohammed, Director of Policy and Research, were awarded a grant from the National Geographic Society (NGS).
AYCMQ and its partners will systematically collect, digitise, and make accessible, valuable “death assemblage” data using 3D photogrammetry approaches to track marine mammal stranding. In addition to a year of scientists-led surveys, they will co-design and test a model for the continuance of stranding surveys led by non-scientists and Qatari residents. Around 17 people have been selected for the programme.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Shafi said the initiative would help government conservation efforts and promote public awareness.
“Qatar gives so much emphasis on cleaning beaches, on marine mammals like dugongs, whales and dolphins. So, we will follow the citizen science concept and select young people to become citizen scientists.
“They will be charged to monitor the marine ecosystems to report the sighting of mammals, fossils and other necessary information, which they can log in an app.”
“It is essential for citizens to become aware of what is happening in the marine ecosystem and beaches, and once undocumented, even the government has a good take of what’s happening around. So they know when and where needs more conservation and what to do. It is also essential, given Qatar is surrounded on three sides by the ocean. It is imperative to have this third eye from the community,” Shafi added.
The participants will be trained between six to eight months and provided information on the marine ecosystem. Whales, dolphins, and dugongs wash ashore frequently on Qatar’s beaches for unknown reasons. There is inadequate data collection to tally strandings, develop population estimates, or diagnose deaths. The partnership hopes that having this information digitised and accessible will help with Qatar’s marine conservation goals for the Arabian Gulf under the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
This new initiative will complement Qatar’s conservation efforts. Through the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Qatar has enforced the National Action Plan to conserve and manage sea resources and prepare a habitat map of its coastal zone.
AYCMQ has been at the fore of community enlightenment activities on environmental issues. The non-governmental organisation recently concluded phase one of a first-of-its-kind carbon footprint exercise which aims to understand Qatar’s resource consumption and carbon footprint.
