**5. Conclusions**

Translocations of healthy corals have been conducted in some cases in the Arabian Gulf to avoid their distraction by large-scale marine projects. For instance, around 4,500 coral colonies from pipeline corridors which would have been affected by proposed expansion projects were relocated to another suitable location in Qatar (O'Donovan and McDonald, 2008). However, the success of such environmental initiatives in protecting affected corals remains to be investigated. Coral culture and transplantation within the Arabian Gulf is proposed as a feasible approach to maintain coral populations and preserve their adaptive capacities to

Monitoring can be described as systemic observations and measurements of physical, chemical and biological variables to detect environmental changes over time (Lovett et al., 2007). Monitoring can provide decision makers with information on the state of biodiversity, and consequently, assist in identifying management goals and assessing priorities for conservation

The key to protecting and managing biodiversity and marine resources is to characterize the structures of coastal and marine ecosystems (i.e. species and populations involved) and functions (i.e. flow of energy, growth and productivity). This could be achieved by adopting a holistic environmental monitoring approach that investigates, spatially and temporally, the physical, chemical and biological aspects of the valued ecosystem components in the Arabian

Several logistical and technical limitations may restrict the effectiveness of environmental monitoring in the Arabian Gulf. Van Lavieren and Klaus (2013) indicated that ecological monitoring and surveys in the Arabian Gulf are poorly designed and do not provide adequate

Developing necessary plans and mechanisms for population and habitat conservation requires adequate knowledge and description of species. Therefore, there is a need to promote taxo‐ nomic research in the Arabian Gulf. Environmental impacts can be detected in a coarser level of taxonomic identification such as genus and family levels of biotic assemblages (Naser, 2010). However, effective conservation can only be achieved if the state of the environment is fully documented and understood, including species diversity. Therefore, it could be argued that while coarser taxonomic levels can be logistically useful in routine environmental monitoring, species-level is critically important to assess the biodiversity and to understand

Transboundary monitoring in the Arabian Gulf is needed to ensure that representatives of marine communities and habitats are included in the conservation measures. This could be addressed by increasing the cooperation between local and regional institutions and organi‐ zations concerned with ecological research and monitoring in the Arabian Gulf. The Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME) may play an important role in strengthening the coordination of environmental monitoring and ecological surveys in

the structure and function of marine ecosystems in the Arabian Gulf.

future thermal stress events due to climate change (Coles and Riegl, 2013).

**4.5. Integrated environmental monitoring and scientific research**

(Collen et al., 2013).

316 Biodiversity - The Dynamic Balance of the Planet

Gulf (Naser, 2011a).

the Arabian Gulf.

information for decision-making systems.

The Arabian Gulf is one of the world's most enclosed, small-scale marine environments. It is characterized by shallow depth and restricted water exchange with the wider Indian Ocean. The Arabian Gulf represents one of the harshest marine environments in the world due to marked fluctuations in seawater temperatures and high levels of salinities. These environ‐ mental extremes may interfere with normal functioning of marine ecosystems and affect physiological aspects of marine organisms and their diversity, abundance and spatial distri‐ bution.

The Arabian Gulf hosts some of the world's most critically endangered species such as dugongs, green and hawksbill turtles, and supports a variety of marine ecosystems, including seagrass bed, mangroves, coral reefs and mudflats that are uniquely adapted to environmental extremes. These ecosystems are under ever-increasing pressure from anthropogenic activities that are associated with the rapid economic, social and industrial developments in the Arabian Gulf countries.

Marine environment of the Arabian Gulf is severely impacted. The coasts of the Arabian Gulf are witnessing rapid industrialization and urbanization that contribute to degradation of naturally stressed marine ecosystems. Coastal development associated with dredging and reclamation is particularly damaging to coastal and marine ecosystems. This is combined with several anthropogenic factors, including industrial and domestic effluents, brine wastewater discharges and oil pollution.

**Author details**

Humood A. Naser

**References**

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Conserving species and communities and maintaining healthy ecosystems are important priorities in the marine environment of the Arabian Gulf. These could be achieved by adopting conservation approaches and management strategies that might contribute to the protection of the fragile marine ecosystems in the Arabian Gulf, including marine protected areas, environmental impact assessment, environmental regulations, ecological restoration, and environmental monitoring and scientific research.

Designation and implementation of marine protected areas are arguably critical for the protection of coastal and marine ecosystems in the Arabian Gulf. Although several marine protected areas have been established, lack of comprehensive management plans may hinder their effectiveness.

Environmental impact assessment can play an important role in the protection of biodiversity and in the sustainable use of coastal and marine environments in the Arabian Gulf. However, its effectiveness is constrained by the lack of adequate legal and regulatory frameworks, limited public participation, inadequate guidelines on procedural EIA, and lack of provisions related to cumulative impacts. Therefore, there is a need for a more strategic approach to environmental assessment that identifies environmental consequences of proposed policies, plans and programmes, and integrates environmental considerations into higher-level decision-making systems in the Arabian Gulf.

The Arabian Gulf countries have extensive national regional and international environmental legislations in place. Strengthening the implantation and the enforcement of the current regulations and agreements can substantially contribute to the protection of marine environ‐ ment in the Arabian Gulf.

Ecological restoration principles could be adopted to minimize or reverse the decline in ecosystem integrity in the Arabian Gulf. Several restoration projects have been conducted in the coastal and marine environments of the Arabian Gulf. Planted mangroves provide several ecological and environmental benefits that may contribute to the productivity of coastal and marine habitats. However, the true impact of some restoration projects such as coral restoration remains to be investigated.

A holistic environmental monitoring and scientific research in the fields of marine sciences and conservation biology are integral part of any effort to conserve and manage biodiversity and marine resources in the Arabian Gulf. Improvement in both number and quality of academic programs related to marine sciences in the Arabian Gulf universities can contribute to building the long-term research capacity in the region.
