Qatar’s dugongs have reached about 840 animals, said to be the largest gathering of these animals in Qatari waters in 30 years. This success was due to a partnership between authorities concerned in the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), Qatar University (QU), and ExxonMobil Research Qatar (EMRQ).
The Ministry, represented by the natural reserves department, is committed to protecting dugongs, frequently visit areas where dugongs gather, and conduct research related to them. Qatar’s dugongs (commonly known as “sea cows”) are part of a larger group found in the Arabian Gulf – which is around 6,000 to 7,000 – and the second largest group in the world, second only to Australia.
“The largest group of dugongs recorded was of the Qatari dugong – about 840 animals were found in the sampling that we took in 2020 with Qatar University (QU) and ExxonMobil Research Qatar (EMRQ). The first gathering in Qatari waters was observed 30 years ago by a research group — consisting of more than 670 individuals,” Saleh Hassan Al Kuwari, Director of Natural Reserves at the MME told The Peninsula.
He also said that Qatar’s dugong population is believed to have made its first appearance in the Arabian Gulf around 7,500 years ago. Still, the history of the species it belongs to, the Sirenia family (Latin for ‘bride of the sea’), dates back nearly 60 million years, first appearing in Africa.
Dr. Mehsin Al Yafei from Qatar University noted that dugongs contribute to maintaining healthy seagrass meadows, which are essential for fish and crustaceans nurseries also as a food source for sea turtles.
They help ensure vegetative balance and play an important role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. “Dugongs are a valuable resource in our ecosystem, and they are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which suggests that they are facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium term future,” he added. Al Yafei said dugongs are being studied to learn more about their population in Qatar, to educate citizens and residents of their existence and their importance to the ecosystem, and to ensure their long-term protection.
Commenting on why dugongs face the risk of extinction, Al Yafei said, “There are several reasons why dugongs are facing extinction. Firstly, their seagrass food sources are being threatened by coastal development or industrial activities contributing to water pollution. If there isn’t enough seagrass for them to eat, then dugongs can’t live and breed normally. Another reason is that they often become victims of bycatch – which is accidental entanglement in fishing nets.”
Ismail Al Shaikh, Technical Research Supervisor from ExxonMobil Research Qatar, said the oil and gas giant is invested in protecting the dugong population. “We wanted to help develop detailed research, education, and conservation programme to understand Qatar’s dugong population better, and also find ways we could help protect it. From there, we signed a tri-party agreement between EMRQ, Texas A&M University, and QU, and have since continued our work with the support of the Private Engineering Office (PEO) and MME.”
“EMRQ has been collecting dugong samples since 2014, mainly from the west coast of Qatar. In June 2018, we agreed with QU to publish a Genomic Landscape of Dugongs in the Arabian Gulf Region study. The study is a joint effort between EMRQ and QU’s Biomedical Research Center (BRC), and the latest in collaborative research efforts since the 2014 agreement to study Qatar’s dugong population,” he added.
