29
Services produced and supported by healthy Blue Carbon ecosystems provide a great
benefit to coastal populations throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
Valuable services include supporting fisheries by
providing crucial habitat for many fish species;
underpinning tourism opportunities such as
snorkelling over seagrass beds, diving among
coral reefs, kayaking in mangroves and bird
watching in saltwater marshes; maintaining global
biodiversity such as the millions of migratory birds
that use regional wetlands annually; adding to the
foundation of culture and heritage throughout the
region; sustaining endangered and threatened
species such as habitat for sea turtles and
dugongs; and, providing coastal protection and
adaptation to climate change through mangroves
stabilisation of shorelines during storms, high
tides, and the subsequent risk of flooding.
Services provided by regional
Blue Carbon ecosystems
Dugongs
Dugongs
(Dugong dugon
) are large marine mammals
that live in warm, shallow waters. They are herbivores
(plant-eaters), whose diet consists mainly of seagrass.
These mammals often graze in herds and can be
found at the same location for weeks to months. A
dugong’s foraging techniques include ‘cultivation
grazing,’ where a patch of seagrass is cropped short
by frequent grazing (Preen, 1995).
REGIONAL IMPORTANCE OF
BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS
Photo:
© Yusuf Thakur
