ABU DHABI // A workshop in Abu Dhabi has played a vital role in conserving Arabian Gulf coral reefs by getting scientists to agree to a common method for research.
The week-long event was the first step towards creating a network that monitors coral health across the region, according to its organiser Dr John Burt, assistant professor of biology at the New York University Abu Dhabi.
Representatives from the public sector as well as non-governmental organisations from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Iran attended the workshop, which finished on Thursday. Among the team of 25 were experts from the seven emirates, as well as leading international coral researchers.
After discussion on various techniques to survey and monitor coral reefs and reef fish, participants agreed on using one method, said Dr Burt.
“The goal was to get people all on the same page,” he said.
A unified method of research is vital because it enables scientists to compare results.
“The plan is now for people to go back to their countries and use the technique in monitoring reefs in their part of the region,” Dr Burt said.
This, he said, will allow for a comprehensive study of the health of the Gulf’s coral reefs. The results are expected to be published in a scientific paper within a year. The paper will compare the most recent findings with historical records to identify any trends in the welfare of the region’s coral.
Like corals elsewhere in the world, reefs in the Gulf support biodiversity by providing nurseries and feeding grounds for many marine organisms, including commercially-important fish species.
With their ability to withstand temperatures and salinity levels that are known to be at the tolerance threshold for most other species, Gulf corals are also of interest to scientists investigating the affect of climate change on coral.
Scientific interest in Gulf reefs, and especially those in the UAE, is increasing, said Dr Burt. Of all scientific papers published on the topic since the 1950s, half were produced within the past decade.
However, despite growing scientific interest and conservation efforts in some countries, the future of coral reefs in the Gulf does not look bright.
"Reefs here have been going into decline in the past two decades as a result of climate change and coastal developments," he said.
As reefs throughout the Gulf are interdependent, it is important for conservationists to consider regional trends, said Dr Burt.
Even countries doing a good job in managing their resources may experience problems if coral colonies in neighbouring countries are not being preserved, he said.
The workshop also aims to engage Gulf nationals in coral conservation, said Dr Burt, as most conservation work is carried out by foreign scientists.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
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Key findings of Jenkins report
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- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
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Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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