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Conservation group calls for marine protected area status
for Oman's Musandam

Photo courtesy: Biosphere Expedition
May 29, 2013
Muscat -
A wildlife and environmental research and conservation group has called for giving Musandam peninsula a marine protected area (MPA) status, as growing human interference in the area could result in severe destruction of the precious coral reserves.
With a high coral coverage of nearly 60 per cent, a value well above what is encountered in most reefs in other areas worldwide, Musandam has in its stewardship what are probably the best reefs of the region.
However, there is pressure on the reefs from diving and fishing communities resulting in low average numbers of some fish and invertebrate populations, suggesting that any additional stress may lead to coral die-off, a study by Biosphere Expeditions has revealed.
The expedition led by Dr Matthias Hammer, who founded Biosphere Expeditions in 1999, surveyed five different sites in north Musandam over a week in October 2012, and the report was published in May this year.
The expedition, which has been surveying the area since 2009, was able to compare the results with past surveys and come out with the latest report.
Dr Hammer told Muscat Daily that the main threats for the reefs are unsustainable development and human encroachment (tourism, overfishing, overuse or others).
“These factors can be controlled on a national level. Other threats, which are basically beyond individual government control, are climate change and with it ocean acidification, sea level rise and the warming of the seas,” he said.
He added that according to the report, the reefs are currently in a good state, but there are clear signs that they could be on the brink.
“Overfishing is a serious issue, as it is almost everywhere in the world's oceans, and I would be loath to open up the area to more 'sustainable' tourism and development. These things are very hard to get right and it's usually the reefs, or nature in general, that loses out. For this natural jewel in Oman's crown, I would urge extreme caution.”
Based on the findings, the report further stated, ‘We therefore continue to recommend that an MPA, or a network of MPAs, is created in north Musandam. We also urge rapid action before what is at the moment still a unique natural treasure for Oman is degraded and lost.’
On the question whether he had received any positive signs from authorities on creation of an MPA, Dr Hammer said, “Over the past few months we have met with a number of senior government figures and they are all broadly supportive of the idea of a Musandam MPA.”
The main change noticed in the fish population in the analysis of the 2012 survey was the decrease of butterflyfish (Chaetodontidae family).
‘Besides the changes in the butterflyfish population, there is still a worryingly low number of groupers and sweetlips. Many of the fish populations in the region are heavily fished, and concerns that fishing efforts have exceeded optimum levels for most species are now receiving some attention from local communities,’ the report said.
The time to act and make the area an MPA is now, while the reefs can still support a diversity of organisms because of this numbers of fish and invertebrates are able to recover, it said.
“If more habitat is lost or degraded before protection is implemented, there is a good chance that fish and invertebrate populations will not be able to recover from their current very low numbers and that the current high coral coverage will be lost. As a result, the decrease in some fish and invertebrates families are likely to have future negative impacts on substrate composition and the reef ecosystem as a whole.”
The next stage, said Dr Hammer, is to get formal support in terms of funding and written commitments
.

“Given funding and government support, we could then extend our efforts from small-scale to more comprehensive surveys (including for example, fisheries landings, stakeholder consultations, etc) and a roadmap towards an MPA.”
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