Gulf II Conference Overview and Commentary

Abstract

The GULF II conference, The State of the Gulf Ecosystem: functioning and services, held at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research in February 2011, was the second such conference to address ecosystem health in the Gulf. The first conference, The State of the Gulf Ecosystem: Future and Threats, was hosted by United Arab Emirates University in Al-Ain (UAE) during March 2006. The GULF conferences resulted in promoting ecosystemic and integrative research, as well as bringing scientists from the Gulf region together. Furthermore, a monograph, The Gulf Ecosystem: Health and Sustainability, was also published (Khan et al., 2002).The GULF II conference was well organized and well attended, stimulating discussions on various environmental and sustainability issues relevant to the Gulf. The three-day program included 93 papers (57 orals, 36 posters, and 7 keynotes) categorised as Climatology and Marine Resources, Marine Ecology and Biodiversity, Marine Pollution and its Impact, Ecotoxicology and Ecosystem Health, Environmental Pollution and its Trans-boundary Movement, Remote Sensing Applications in the Marine Environment, and Environmental Management. Presentations and discussions were helpful in scoping the state of science and environmental management in the Gulf countries, in keeping with the overall conference theme.Most presentations reported various activities in the Gulf, including environmental assessments/baseline studies/biological surveys, contaminant monitoring/toxicological studies, and the state of management practices. A major value of this conference was in helping to identify research and management needs. For example, papers presented on dust fallout in the Gulf have reported an increase in the frequency of dust storms and a corresponding increase in aeolian deposition. The contribution of dust fallout to sedimentation in the Gulf is a serious issue and should be monitored on a Gulf-wide basis to determine sediment dynamics. Presentations on biological/ecological baseline studies were also positive contributions to facilitate environmental management of the Gulf. The myriad of environmental assessment reports presented in the conference left a clear impression of the need to pay more attention to the cumulative impacts of development projects and to further understand how baseline conditions may have been modified. Similarly, assessment reports of coastal development showed due consideration must be given to sea level rise in the Gulf. Several papers reported the building of remote sensing capacity for spatial and temporal monitoring of harmful algal blooms (HABS), and other ecological parameters in the Gulf, such as coastal seawater temperature, oil pollution, bio-optical characteristics of seawater, sediment transport, and shoreline changes. This is a positive development because remote sensing can serve as an important research and monitoring tool in the ecosystem-based management on a Gulf-wide basis.Keynote presentations reviewed coastal temperature trends; the importance of marine science databases for risk assessment and management; the state of pollution in the Gulf; the need for the development of ecological indicators of ecosystem health backed by multinational agreements; the role of Monaco-based IAEA laboratories in monitoring the marine environment; the need for strengthening environmental policies to prevent ecosystem decline in the Gulf; and a review of ecosystem-based analytic tools for resource damage assessment. Some of these keynote presentations were especially helpful in generating discussion on various governance aspects of the Gulf. For example, the paper by A.R.G. Price and colleagues reviewed ‘monetary’ and ‘environmental’ compensation as mechanisms addressing ecosystem damage in the Gulf and proposed setting of threshold levels for the protection of coastal and marine habitats.Most of the presentations at the GULF II conference reaffirmed the conclusions and notions about the fragility and vulnerability of the Gulf ecosystem as a result of unabated development. Furthermore, the presentations highlighted the lack of a coordinated strategic vision for the Gulf's sustainability and ecosystemic integrity. It also became apparent that the natural habitats of the Gulf have undergone significant deterioration at the expense of rapid urban and industrial development, and some have been severely impacted by episodic warming events. Despite the existing regional laws, treaties, and institutions for the sustainable management of the Gulf, it continues to experience degradation of its productive habitats largely as a result of unabated and unchecked development. Aside from a host of anthropogenic threats to Gulf's sustainability, a general lack of compliance to local, regional and international environmental laws and regulations poses a very significant threat. The Gulf is still not visualized as a regional commons and truly collaborative efforts at research and management, which are international in scope, holistic and ecosystemic, are needed to protect this vital resource. A change in the mindset of coastal developers is also required.