The creation of a marine sanctuary after the 1991 Gulf war oil spill

Abstract

A task force of the Commission of the European Communities, which participated in international remediation efforts following the Gulf war oil spill, proposed the establishment of a Marine Habitat and Wildlife Sanctuary for the Gulf Region. Since October 1991 an international, interdisciplinary team of scientists has been working in an area north of Jubail, Saudi Arabia, monitoring the effects of the oil spill on habitats and biota, developing methods for habitat restoration, and assessing conservation needs. A conservation management plan for the area has been drafted. Two years after the oil spill, the upper intertidal is still covered with an almost continuous band of oil and tar. It has lost most of its typical plant and animal communities. On some rocky and sandy shores there are signs of recovery and recolonization. The lower intertidal was only locally affected and most of it has recovered by now. Subtidal habitats and biota largely escaped oil contamination. They are in reasonably healthy condition. On the offshore islands marine turtles nested within the expected numbers. The breeding success of terns was normal in 1991, but declined dramatically in 1992.