A new report by the United Nations University has warned that the rapid, large scale coastal development underway in the Middle East must be better planned and managed in order to avoid aggravating already “severe” degradation and losses in the fragile marine ecosystems. These ecosystems are shared by eight Gulf countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The report, by UNU's Canadian-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health, says fisheries and a broad range of other valuable resources and services provided by the Gulf's ecosystems are at risk of being lost because of inadequate environmental management. Launched at UN headquarters in New York, the report is based on direct research and experience in the Gulf, and published literature. It said coastal development in wealthy Gulf countries has been so extensive and swift that “there has not been enough time to develop adequate regulatory, technical, and monitoring capacity to guide this growth appropriately.” Consequences include “severe loss and degradation of important habitats, including mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs,” greater pollution, and other environmental setbacks, says the report, warning of potential health problems and “the permanent loss of nursery grounds for commercial shellfish and fish species,” among the troubles foreseen. “Though focussed on the Gulf region, with its enormous new artificial islands and waterways, waterfront cities, ports and marinas, the report is relevant to other parts of the Middle East, to China, parts of South-East Asia, and elsewhere in the world where rapid coastal development is also underway,” says co-author Peter F. Sale, Assistant Director of UNU-INWEH, citing UNEP predictions that as much as 91 percent of all temperate and tropical coasts will be heavily impacted by development by 2050. “The physical characteristics and semi-enclosed nature of the Gulf provide ideal conditions for accumulation of pollutants and may create the ‘pollutant trap' common in other enclosed and semi-enclosed seas. Insufficient or unreliable data exist to be able to accurately estimate the impacts of increased pollution on the Gulf's marine environment,” the report said. “Relatively little information exists on the short and long-term environmental effects of coastal mega-projects,” said lead author Hanneke Van Lavieren of UNU-INWEH. “Without good planning and careful consideration of existing coastal features, hydrodynamics and offshore seafloor conditions, the consequences of such developments could be severe and long lasting.”
