Dugongs - The Gentle Giants of Qatar
When one thinks of Qatar’s most iconic species, images immediately spring to mind of the Arabian oryx or dhub lizard.
Yet following a recent tri-party agreement signed between ExxonMobil Research Qatar and Texas A&M University, research is now underway that will shine the spotlight on the relatively unheralded dugong population of Qatar.
Dugongs are large herbivorous marine mammals, weighing more than 400kg, which consume sea grasses and inhabit the waters of at least 37 countries around the world.
The species can live for up to 70 years but, due to the fact that they are long-lived, large mammals with a low reproductive output, they are the only surviving species from the Dugongidae family of the Sirenia order of aquatic mammals and are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Qatar is home to the second-largest population of dugongs in the world, behind only Australia.
Though limited research has been conducted on Qatar’s dugongs thus far, the new agreement aims to develop the scientific understanding needed to inform environmental management decisions for dugongs in Qatar.
Very little is known about the Qatari population of dugongs, especially in comparison to research on their Australian counterparts.
Though there have been studies in the past, an updated comprehensive overview would help to inform potential future conservation efforts.
Dr Jennifer Dupont, Research Director at ExxonMobil Research Qatar, told The Foundation:
"We think that this population of dugongs may exist at its northern-most limit."
"This fact, combined with the extreme environmental conditions of the Arabian Gulf, could lead to a divergence in morphometric parameters and adaptations as compared to Australian dugongs."
"In the winter, it has been reported that the dugongs tend to congregate in northwest Qatar and then they spread out around the coast during the summer. Reports and sightings are sparse, leading to less awareness about the animals among residents of Qatar. We hope that this study will increase people’s attention to the presence of these iconic animals."
"Similar to other areas around the world, coastal development in Qatar is increasing threats to marine mammals such as dugongs. Individuals may get caught in fishing nets or hit by boats, so you occasionally find dugong carcasses that wash up on the beach. Thus far we’ve collected eight samples around the country from stranded dugongs, ranging from freshly stranded to severely decomposed.
For the first objective of conducting beach surveys, Dr Dupont said that the eventual outcome would be to produce a map of strandings, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to begin to understand the dugong population around Qatar.
Data collected during beach surveys will be combined with results from histological processing (the study’s second objective) in order to understand the age-class structure and age-specific natural history of Qatari’s dugong population, for example, the ratio of juveniles to adults.
While the research study is one dependent on collaboration, its eventual gift to Qatar could be in not only informing citizens of an unsung species, but also in conservation efforts that will ensure that generations of Qataris have the opportunity to see their dugong population thrive. [Source: The Foundation]
