Conservationists take to the water in Musandam

Dubai: The Musandam coral reefs are some of the least known corals globally. But that doesn't stop dedicated divers from all over the UAE from heading north every weekend to be blown away by what lies under the water.

In stark contrast to the topography of the area, mostly barren, dry cliffs, the ocean and the fjords of Musandam are host to what experts describe as a near 100 per cent cover of coral reef beds, mostly untouched.

Ordinary divers who care about the acquatic environment in the area and would like to keep it as pristine as it is can don the role of activists by working closely with Reef Check, an organisation which monitors coral reefs and the marine life around them.

Reef Check is an international coral reef conservation programme that also educates ordinary scuba divers to monitor coral reefs as a way of checking their degradation.

The aim is to stimulate local community action to protect the remaining pristine reefs and rehabilitate damaged reefs worldwide.

Overfishing threat

In the 1980s, according to Reef Check, many scientists thought that the major threats to coral reefs were primarily pollution and sedimentation.

Reef Check tests demonstrated for the first time that overfishing was a major threat to coral reefs on a global scale. Since then, hundreds of Reef Check teams have been monitoring reefs every year in more than 60 countries.

A report titled "The Global Coral Reef Crisis - Trends and Solutions" drew inferences from five years of studies at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa, in September 2002.

The Emirates Diving Association (EDA) has eight Reef Check qualified members who dive around the country keeping a close eye on the corals.

EDA marine biologist Rita Bento recently met up with reef-checking team Biosphere to undertake a five-day study of the corals in Musandam.

Monitoring programmes examine the correlations between abundance of marine life and ratings of human impact provided by the teams.

"This is a globally recognised way to monitor coral reefs and identify fish. We take ordinary divers and ask them to survey what they see. Once you know what you're looking for, it really is like opening a new door to diving," said Kathy Wilden, Biosphere Expeditions director.

The Musandam corals are on par with good spots in the pacific ocean said Jonathan Shrives, expedition leader and marine biologist. "The diversity and quality of the coral is by far what I was most impressed with," he told Gulf News.

"There is minimal impact at the moment and it is not being damaged at such an alarming rate, so we should get in there and monitor it."

Coral reefs in Musandam are unique in that they are exposed to temperatures much higher than anywhere else in the world but are still in tact.

The purpose of the dive project will be to provide data on the current biological status of the reefs and of population levels of protected species within the area.

For more information, log on to www.biosphereexpeditions.org