'Marine life is benefiting from there not being as many boats in the water, as many people, or as much pollution.' Exotic rays, dolphins and sharks have been spotted returning to the waters around Dubai.
There are frustrations too. Azraq must now rely on the public to report sightings of marine wildlife as lockdown restrictions prevent direct observation by staff, and the group's work with beach cleanups, mangrove tree planting, and school visits have been interrupted.
"A lot of people see the UAE as being a desert...and don't think about the marine wildlife, but actually we're blessed here," says Banks."There is an opportunity to increase the awareness of the species in our waters and to make people care about them." "When tourism activities pick up again, or other kinds of traffic, that will reverse the potential benefits that might have occurred," says Epps."I think the kind of sightings of marine animals we are seeing are likely to be short lived."But there is the potential for lasting gains, she believes, such as through the management of fishing.
"This is where we can see impact...We have seen from other historical events such as wartime and piracy that these bring opportunities for fish stocks to recover."But she warns that the absence of humans might induce less positive effects. If one species claims new territory, it could wipe out another species in that area and imbalance an ecosystem. Conservation efforts will suffer where they rely on revenue from tourism.
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