1,001 Blights of the Arabian Seas

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partly submerged oil tanker, the seas of arabia, national geographic, thomas p. peschak, photography

The Hulks of War

In the Western press, news from the Middle East rarely goes beyond death counts from Iraq, revolts in Egypt, Libya and Yemen, Syria’s internal genocide, and war murmurs between Israel and Iran. But the March 2012 issue of National Geographic, a paper-and-ink magazine on newsstands February 28, goes deeper than the standard reporting from the Gulf States, so deep, in fact, that it delves underwater.

“The Seas of Arabia,” reported by Kennedy Warne, with photographs by Thomas P. Peschak, explores the mostly manmade perils that are choking out the seas, gulfs, bays and straits of Arabia.

The magazine (which has an iPad edition) shared a few of Thomas P. Peschak’s images from its photo essay and gave TakePart access to Kennedy Warne for a speed-read picture of the intricate and fragile interlock of ecosystems at risk in “The Seas of Arabia.”

Click through the gallery for the full interview.

Photo: ©Thomas P. Peschak/National Geographic

A relic of the Iran-Iraq war, this oil tanker was scuttled near the Kuwait-Iraq border on Saddam Hussein's orders, to block access by sea to southern Iraq.

Underwater Paradise in Peril

TakePart: What stands to be lost in the Arabian Seas?

Kennedy Warne: Because of their small size and isolation from other bodies of water, semi-enclosed seas such as the Arabian/Persian Gulf and the neighboring Red Sea are threatened disproportionately by global warming and ocean acidification, and by resource exploitation, pollution and habitat degradation. The only way marine organisms can migrate in or out of the Persian Gulf is via the Strait of Hormuz, a mere 34 miles wide at its narrowest point. More ominously, the only way that pollutants and toxins in gulf waters can be reduced is by the limited flushing that occurs through that narrow gap. As development in the region ramps up, and as pressure on fish stocks and habitats increases, biodiversity must inevitably suffer. So what stands to be lost are ecosystems and suites of species found nowhere else in the world.

TakePart: What commercial interests are at odds with protecting the Arabian Seas?

Kennedy Warne: Besides hundreds of oil and gas platforms dotted through the Persian Gulf? Rampant coastal development. Sea bottom dredging for reclamation and construction degrades large areas of shallow habitat. Coastal development, for industrial, residential, or infrastructure and tourism, risks sedimentation and pollution of inshore waters. The increased capture efficiency of fisheries puts intense pressure on local fish stocks. As elsewhere in the world, marine protection in Arabia has lagged behind resource exploitation.

Photo: ©Thomas P. Peschak/National Geographic

Rarely visited, the reefs off Saudi Arabia in the northern Red Sea are some of the most undisturbed in the region.

Swimming for Its Life

TakePart: Are the barriers to meaningful husbandry of the Arabian Seas cultural?

Kennedy Warne: Religious traditions and scriptures in both Islamic and Judeo-Christian cultures possess exhortations to preserve and protect nature. However, followers of both traditions rationalize these exhortations away; so

the barriers are more political than cultural. Eight separate countries, that don’t have a great track record of cooperative endeavor, border the Persian Gulf. Marine conservation is only effective if all the stakeholders are involved; so I don’t see the threats to Arabian Seas diminishing until regional conservation becomes an effective political force.

TakePart: If the Arabian Seas live or die, what will that mean to the West?

Kennedy Warne: To some people, it is of no concern. Humans owe nothing to nature, goes their thinking. Nature exists for human advancement and pleasure. To others, the degradation of nature is a source of deep discouragement and sorrow, wherever it happens. If the looming global climate catastrophe is a matter of no concern to a large section of Western society, why should the fortunes of Middle Eastern marine environments cause anyone to lose sleep? My opinion is that the loss of the parts diminishes the whole. We are all stakeholders in nature.

National Geographic: Highlighting Environmental Wonders and Worries

TakePart: Are any grassroots movements protecting the Seas?

Kennedy Warne: Grassroots marine conservation groups have sprung up in some Gulf States. In the National Geographic story, I report on the efforts of Kuwaiti scuba-diving teams to remove fishing nets from coral reefs and salvage polluting debris from the Gulf wars. Other groups are promoting marine education. The WWF in the United Arab Emirates has been operating in the region for more than 10 years. The Environment Society of Oman also supports a range of marine initiatives.