GULF SANCTUARY
Friedhelm Krupp and Peter Symens
Pictures by F. Krupp, P.Vine, T. Bomford

During the Gulf war in early 1991 an estimated one million tons of crude oil were released into the Arabian Gulf. Most of this oil was washed ashore along the Saudi Arabian coastline, causing the largest oil spill in human history. Friedhelm Krupp is the European manager for the Wildlife Sanctuary for the Gulf Region project while Peter Symens, engaged on the project, was also a key member of the team that established the Jubail Wildlife Rescue Centre, in conjunction with the Saudi Arabian National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development: a project that was instrumental in saving many birds.

At the time of the spill nobody was able to forecast the ecological effects of so large a quantity of oil on the Gulf's shores. Reports in the media were contradictory: while some journalists stated that this was no major ecological disaster, others predicted that the war would turn the Gulf into another Dead Sea.

The Arabian Gulf has always been subjected to oil pollution (from both natural seepages and man's activities) but the magnitude of the recent spill required an international response. Among other organisations the European Community seconded a task force to Saudi Arabia. In conjunction with the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) in Riyadh and other Saudi Arabian agencies, the European scientists drafted an Environmental Response Plan for habitat remediation and wildlife rehabilitation. The ultimate aim was the establishment of a "Marine Habitat and Wildlife Sanctuary for the Gulf Region".P.Vine

Since it was not possible to extend this project to the entire coastline affected by the oil spill, an area between Ras az-Zawr and Abu Ali, north of Jubail, was selected for the proposed Marine Sanctuary. Additionally, the five offshore coral islands of Harqus, Karan, Kurayn, Jana and Jurayd were included. This area contains representative examples of the full range of inter tidal and subtidal habitats found throughout the western Arabian Gulf.

The main objectives of the project are: 1) To assess the damage caused by the oil-spill, 2) to develop methods for the restoration of coastal and marine habitats, 3) to document the biological diversity of the area and address major conservation needs, and 4) to establish a marine research and visitor's centre.

The NCWCD and the Senckenberg Research Institute of Frankfurt, Germany, in conjunction with an international team of around 70 scientists, geographers, geologists, marine chemists, microbiologists, botanists, zoologists and a socio-economist, from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and six European countries have been working in the area since October 1991. Two buildings, which had been set up as a Wildlife Rescue Centre during the war, were transformed into a Field Research centre with dry and wet laboratories, a computer room, stores and a visitor's room with displays for the general public.

Oil reached the project area in mid-February 1991. It was washed ashore by wind and high tides and transported deep into the creeks and gullies of the salt marshes. More than two years after the spill the inter tidal is still covered by an almost continuous band of oiled sediment and tar. Thus research activities are concentrated in this zone.

One of the most striking features of this area are the extensive mats of blue-green algae which form on the surface of the broad inter tidal mud flats. Most of them were severely affected by the oil, but had recolonised the area by mid 1992. During the dry season, these mats curl up at their edges, lifting the tar layer. The oiled sediment underneath is then exposed to further weathering. Blue-green algae might play an important role in natural biodegradation. The mechanisms, which are far from being fully understood, are presently being studied by a team of botanists, microbiologists and biochemists.

The botanists Benno Böer and Jan Warnken of Osnabrück University, Germany, studied the effects of the oil-spill on inter tidal vegetation. Large areas are covered by salt marshes. These are highly productive habitats and important feeding grounds for birds and other animals. They have been severely affected by the oil spill with almost half of the inter tidal vegetation being extinguished. In this area, the tar layer has changed the normal soil characteristics. It inhibits the penetration of water and gases and results in raised temperatures. Avicennia marina is the only mangrove species to occur in the area. After the war many experts predicted that these, the northernmost mangrove stands of the Gulf, would not survive the oil spill. On Qurma Island, where the most extensive stand north of Abu Ali occurs, the free-floating oil was flushed naturally from the heavily impacted areas to open water. This may have saved most of the mangroves on that island. Altogether, more than 50% survived and a few new seedlings have successfully colonised some of the impacted areas.

In order to set up a monitoring programme for the inter tidal fauna, a survey was conducted along the coastline. At ten permanent stations data on the distribution of inter tidal animals were collected at regular intervals. Key species of the upper inter tidal zone were absent at sites affected by the oil spill, while they were present at normal population densities outside the impacted areas. Dr David Jones of the University of Wales, and his team showed that this area had lost most of its typical plant and animal communities. By the end of 1992, the fauna of the lower shore in the oiled area had almost recovered. On the upper shore, however, the tar mats largely continued to prevent resettlement by animals. Above all, in very sheltered mud flats there is hardly any sign of recovery on the higher beaches. On rocky shores the thin layers of tar dried and peeled off the substrate. New recruitment into these areas was observed in the second half of 1992. In general, there is a trend towards recovery, with species diversity and population densities increasing, although animal populations are not yet stable.

The inter tidal zone of the Arabian Gulf is of crucial importance for millions of shorebirds which, during short periods in spring and autumn, feed intensively on the invertebrates in order to build up the huge fat reserves needed as energy for the long flights between their Arctic breeding grounds and tropical wintering areas. Due to the oil pollution and subsequent loss of food, the numbers of waders along the coastline of the Sanctuary decreased by up to 98% during the first year following the spill. However, since November 1992, large numbers of waders have started to re-appear on their traditional feeding sites as their food resources begin to recover.

Since adjoining terrestrial areas may have a direct impact on marine habitats, they are included in the sanctuary as a buffer zone.

Furthermore, the terrestrial flora and fauna are highly diverse, and deserve being included in the protection scheme by their own right. Although oil was carried far inland through tidal channels and coastal sabkhas, the terrestrial habitats were not directly affected.

Most of the inshore subtidal areas are very shallow, resulting in extreme temperature fluctuations and high salinities, which place considerable environmental stress on wildlife. Major habitats are plain and sand bottom, macroalgal beds, seagrass beds, whip coral areas and coral reefs. In these areas there were no visible signs of damage from oil pollution despite the close proximity to massive surface oiling. Only a few, small, weathered tar balls were found on a sea-grass bed. Plant and animal species diversity in these areas were similar to pre-war conditions.

The five coral cays, Harqus, Karan, Kurayn, Jana and Jurayd off the coast of Saudi Arabia have a maximum elevation of 3 metres above high tide level. All except Harqus are covered with a low layer of salt tolerant plants. The northern islands were severely affected by the oil spill. On Karan, tar and oiled sediment were removed from sandy beaches immediately after the spill.

F.KruppFour species of terns breed on these islands. The colonies of the lesser-crested tern, with 28,000 pairs, is the largest and densest in the world and represents a significant part of the world population of this species. The most numerous species is the bridled tern, and 34,000 breeding pairs in 1992 place these islands among the five most important breeding areas for this species on earth. In addition some 4000 pairs of swift terns and 11850 pairs of white-cheeked tern were observed in 1992. Since the spill the breeding activities of these terns have been closely monitored by Peter Symens and Abdullah Al-Suhaibany of the NCWCD. In 1991 there was no significant impact of the oil-spill on the terns or their breeding activities. This may be explained by the fact that the terns had not yet returned to their breeding grounds when the oil-spill occurred. By the time they arrived (end of April to early May) there was no more oil floating on the water surface and the sandy beaches of Karan island had been cleaned. In 1992, however, the situation was different. The breeding success of the white-cheeked tern was nil! All chicks were taken by the larger swift terns. The breeding success of the other species declined by more than 50%. Many incubating terns abandoned their nests before the eggs hatched. The growth rate of chicks was much lower than in 1991, resulting in a higher chick mortality. There was an important increase in aggression and "food-stealing" between birds returning with fish to feed their chicks. These phenomena may be attributed to a shortage of young pelagic fish on which the terns feed. The cause of the shortage remains uncertain. It may be a late effect of the oil-spill, or a drop in sea-temperature caused by smoke from the Kuwait oil-well fires, or a failure in fish stock recruitment during the extremely cold winter of 1991-92, or a combination of these factors. In 1993 the growth rate of the tern chicks was back to normal, indicating that fish were again abundant.

The offshore islands are also the primary nesting sites of green and hawksbill turtles in the Gulf. The breeding biology of these two species was monitored by NCWCD and project biologists on Karan and Jana. The breeding success of turtles since 1991 was within the expected range.

The coral reefs around these islands are the most diverse in the Gulf. Except for anchor damage, offshore coral reefs are healthy without any visible signs of oil damage. On Karan a few bleached stagshorn corals were found, but their number did not exceed normal levels. Fish populations also showed the expected species diversity and normal population densities.

Owing to its ecological value and importance for wildlife, the area had been earmarked for protection from several years before the war. The 1991 Gulf war oil spill added a new dimension to the task of establishing a marine sanctuary in this area, requiring international action. Due to naturally extreme environmental conditions, many marine and coastal plant and animal species live at the limits of their distributional range. They are particularly sensitive to man-induced changes. In many areas the Gulf war caused a de-stabilisation of the environmental equilibrium and the establishment of a Marine Habitat and Wildlife Sanctuary is seen as an appropriate response. After remediation and recovery from the effects of the oil pollution and other man-induced disturbances, this Sanctuary will help conserve the unique wildlife of the Gulf and at the same time form a nucleus for the re colonisation of other areas affected by the oil spill. The long term success of such a project largely depends upon the support it receives from local people. To secure their support the project's education manager, Rod Fleming, has developed an extensive educational programme for environmental awareness.

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Arabian Wildlife. Volume 1, Number 1
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