[Coral-List] A very good summary of the Persian/Arabian Gulf coral reef condition

Sheppard, Charles Charles.Sheppard at warwick.ac.uk
Sun Sep 14 12:49:33 EDT 2014


Dear coral-list

A recent article has appeared which discusses the importance of coral reefs in the Arabian/Persian Gulf and discusses the increasing threats facing these unique and fragile ecosystems. 

The citation for the article is:
Burt J, van Lavieren H, Feary D (2014) Persian Gulf reefs: an important asset for climate science in urgent need of protection. Ocean Challenge 20:49-56

 and it can found here:    
http://www.challenger-society.org.uk/sites/default/files/8%20Gulf.pdf

You will see, (if you didn't already know it), that reefs in this body of water are in a dire and deteriorating condition.  As many on coral list work in the Arabian or Iranian Region, perhaps you can wave this article about in front of officials in those countries.  To quote a few lines from the Burt et al article

"There is also a pressing need for more public awareness of, and engagement in, environmental decision-making. While scientific knowledge of regional reefs has grown in recent years, this has not generally translated into a better informed public who might act as advocates for these ecosystems. Additionally, public participation in decision-making processes is almost non-existent due to the highly centralised role played by governments, the limited freedom of media in highlighting environmental concerns, and the general lack of publicly available environmental data." 

Then, take a look at its figure 7, and be convinced!

Best wishes

Charles Sheppard
University of Warwick


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