ENVIRONMENTAL conservation is often an overlooked aspect of life in Kuwait, and many people, nationals and residents alike, are uninformed regarding the different types of wildlife that exists in this country. Most are not aware that Kuwait is home to a thriving natural wildlife; and to various different types of ecosystems which lend habitats to hundreds of different species of mammals, birds, and marine life. As such, most of these species remain unprotected, and many are under grave threat of approaching or being endangered. Nancy Papathanasopoulou and Stamis Zogaris have been working on different projects aimed towards gathering information and spreading awareness to protect different species in Kuwait over the past few years.

Nancy Papathanasopoulou was responsible for coordinating the Kuwait Turtle Conservation Project, which took place over three years and ended in late 2011. Stamis Zogaris is a geologist and biologist who has been documenting avian and marine life in Kuwait for the past two years, giving birth to projects such as the comprehensive ‘Birds of Kuwait’ book. Together, they are part of Biodiversity East, a non-profit NGO, that works internationally, and aims to spread awareness on the existing abundance of ecological richness, and how to protect it.

Question: Tell us more about your most recent project.
Stamis Zogaris: Our most recent project is this particular ground-breaking comprehensive guide to the birds of Kuwait. It’s a book of 408 pages, created by 42 contributing photographers, who shared their photography with us; over six thousand photographs, and we selected 1400 of their best work to include in this visual guide. It’s a scientifically based guide to birds and their habitats in Kuwait. There have been other books before about Kuwait birds, but this one is the most integrated and comprehensive, and, I think, the most scientifically based, in terms of giving a complete picture for all the species that have been recorded. That’s 389 species, and 17 subspecies of birds.
It’s also a collaborative effort in the sense that we had Kuwait Ornithological Rarities Committee, which is a small environmental organization here in Kuwait, working with us in Biodiversity East, to create the first conservation science baseline for birds.
The first fifty pages are an introduction to the bird world in Kuwait, placing Kuwait in its realm within the southeastern end of the western Palearctic; a unique crossroads for migratory and wintering birds and there are different eco-zones in the country which attract so many different species. Most people don’t know about this, so we’re trying to promote people to go out to see the birds and contribute by documenting through photography, or counting them in different places, so we’re promoting bird-watching as a recreational activity.

So the first fifty pages introduce conservation, the really endangered birds that are globally threatened, and also the important places to see birds. There are 18 different places to see birds which are really outstanding. Most Kuwaitis and visitors overlook the value of these sometimes-small habitat areas for conservation and biodiversity. Biodiversity is a heritage, and if we don’t pay attention to that, it won’t be protected. By overlooking it, people become negligent, they mismanage resources, they destroy the landscape. The aesthetic aspect of the landscape is also threatened, and it’s being degraded.
Nancy Papathanasopoulou: And such an important natural capital is slowly disappearing, mostly because of ignorance. Some people know, but they’re a minority. Mostly, local people simply don’t know. So we see this as a first awareness step. This book is meant to be a corporate gift, but a large number of these books is going to be given by the sponsor to schools, reserve directors and every effort that aims to raise awareness of birds and wetlands in Kuwait, so there’s a bit of charity to this, it’s not simply a corporate gift. After that, we are hoping to raise a budget to turn this into an e-book, so people holding smartphones and tablets can read it for free, and also to turn the lists of birds into a smartphone application.
SZ: I also want to emphasise that this is a product of scientific research, so, behind this is a statement about the frequency of each bird’s occurrence, and its vulnerability to human threats. Some of them are extremely rare or near-threatened.

Q: Who contributed to the book?
NP: Contributing to this book were 42 photographers, 90% of whom are either Kuwaiti nationals or Kuwaiti based, and equally, about 90% of the photos were taken in Kuwait. We took some outside of Kuwait of some species we couldn’t find because they’re rare or vagrant, but this is almost exclusively a Kuwaiti book. Every single photographer is credited on each page, and in the back of the book, there’s an index, with every single photographer and a short biography of who they are.
SZ: And on that note we would like to thank each of them for contributing freely, because they contributed as volunteers. This book is not only a statement that Kuwait is alive with nature, it’s also a statement that people can get together, to join forces on a volunteer basis to protect nature, because that’s the impetus here.
NP: Stam is a founding member of Biodiversity East, and has been working on birds, wetlands, and also the marine environment, and inland waters with fish for the last 25 years, and in Kuwait for the last couple of years.

Q: Tell us more about Biodiversity East.
SZ: Biodiversity East was formed by experienced scientists and naturalists in conservation, so although it’s a very recent organization, it is based in Cyprus and it’s a great stepping stone for work throughout the middle east. We’ve been working on projects in Greece, Oman, Kuwait, etc, such as the Kuwait Turtle Conservation Project that Nancy managed for 3 years here in Kuwait.
NP: It’s an NGO; it’s purposes are non-governmental, but it’s also not directed towards profit. We’re not a trade company, we’re an NGO, so we provide consultation services with lots of professionalism. We’re not volunteers, we’re being paid to contribute to enhancing understanding of the environment and promote its conservation in a professional way. We believe that volunteering is great, but we believe that environment should be a serious profession as well, and taking care of it should be led by serious professionals who have dedicated their lives studying it and are willing to continue working and making a living from it. Everyone has the role; professionals and volunteers, but only by working together can the environment really be safeguarded in the end.
SZ: We believe in facilitating a collaboration where volunteers and enthusiasts based here in Kuwait can provide opportunities for contributing, because we need volunteers, but we have to channel that energy and all the work they can do in a strategic way. This is often difficult when you have poorly structured volunteer schemes. This book is an example of a proper framework in which each volunteer who provided work is appreciated within it, but the framework is to be a very professionally based project, and this project took just six months to put together.
NP: We work fast and we’re very results-oriented. Talking about the environment can take generations; we think there’s no more time to lose. It’s time to act and deliver, and to prevent total degradation of the environment.

Q: Who were the photographers who contributed to the book, and what kinds of backgrounds do they have?
SZ: These are enthusiasts; some of these are very experienced amateur naturalists. An amateur naturalist is somebody who is motivated to go out in nature and record information about natural phenomena. These particular are people who would like to learn about their environment, and who become very adept and capable at documenting and identifying species. Mike Pope, who edited the book, and myself tried to create a comfortable environment for them to send the pictures, and then we selected from the pictures they sent ourselves.

Q: When will the book be released?
NP: We hope to start printing by the 15th of June, and have the book delivered in Kuwait by the beginning of july.

Q: Where are you distributing the book?
NP: The book is not ours to distribute; it’s KUFPEC who are distributing it.
SZ: It’s Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company, which is a subsidiary of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, and they’ve been kind enough to see this as a contribution to nature conservation in Kuwait, so they will produce 1500 copies, and at least 500 will be distributed to schools and organizations in Kuwait, which will be able to use it. It’s a contribution being made as a corporate social responsibility act.

Q: In your work with KPC, do you feel like they’ve been committed to environmentally ethical practices?
NP: I think they are; it took a while, but not because they weren’t committed, but because it was unclear to them how to invest, and what are the priorities. Kuwait lacks consultancy to corporate interest to prioritize needs and to specify products that corporate entities need. A corporate entity needs a proposal, a budget, a timeline and it needs serious professionals to deliver this result. They’re profit oriented, and this is profit as well; not monetary, but in terms of result. This is lacking a bit in Kuwait; people ask for money saying they want to do this, but professionalism lacks, and corporate entities are reluctant to sponsor.

Q: What other organizations have sponsored your projects?
NP: Well in Kuwait, the first long term project was the Kuwait Turtle Conservation Project, which was sponsored by Total Foundation and Total Kuwait, and now this book. Both companies sponsoring our work were oil companies; obviously, the turtle project was much longer term and delivered a lot as well. It’s not just a project, but an integrated approach for marine conservation. Upon its end in July 2011, after three years, it delivered a general management plan for the nesting and breeding areas for the two nesting species of turtles in Kuwait. It delivered and exhibited a permanent exhibit at the Scientific Center in Kuwait, describing the turtle cause in Kuwait and what conservation should entail. We delivered an e-book called The Soul of Kuwaiti Turtles. We also delivered several environmental education presentations that we made at schools, and training for those few interested and committed people who came out with us on the field, unafraid of the heat and sandstorms, to study the turtles and satellite tag the turtles and understand how conservation works, in order to have their own projects once the foreign workers have gone.
Having a book or an app or an ebook is not enough to ensure conservation; they only cover one side of conservation, which is awareness. Conservation also has the aspect of constant observation in order to prevent degradation. It also entails constant cooperation with authorities who create legislations and management guidelines to ensure that the natural capital is protected.

Q: Tell us more about your new iPhone application.
NP: During the three years of the turtle conservation project we were in the sea constantly, into just on the shore observing turtles. Unlike what many may think, the southern Kuwaiti seas are very rich in corals, invertebrates, sea mammals and fish; not only commercial fish but reef fish that are absolutely amazing to observe. So we decided that, since we were making a database of every single species that we encountered, why not turn it into a tool of awareness, rather than keeping it in a drawer or report, get it out there and accompany it with pictures that were taken in the course of the project, and turn them into an iPhone application. In our team, one of our colleagues is a software designer.
It is important to understand that even though this project was sponsored by Total, the app was not part of the deliverables. The app was a result of gathering, in our free time and completely voluntarily, the material that was obtained during our conservation project. With the huge amount of effort it took, over eight months, we released a product, which we named Kuwait Sea Base, and is a list of species which are there for sea-lovers and enthusiasts, divers and fishermen, or just curious people to discover.

The way Kuwait Sea Base works is through entering a list, in which species are classified by their common English name, or their scientific name, or per family, or by looking family in the photo gallery, clicking the pictures, and discovering what they are. If you know what you’re looking for, you have a search option, and you can type in what you’re looking for. So let’s say you’re looking for the Arabian Butterfly fish, when you click on it, you find a picture gallery of 1-3 photos. We tried to keep it low in order not to make the app too difficult to download.
We’ve tried where we could to include adult and juvenile phases, crediting the photographer each time. We also included an identification coloration description, which we tried to keep short, in order to encourage all people to read, not just those who are extremely interested. And if they want more information, they can go on the internet later and go in depth, but initially, for identification purposes, we thought this information was enough. We did this for fish, sharks, rays and turtles.

Q: How do you see the app developing?
NP: Our ambition now is to obtain sponsorship to enrich the app with more species, maps, sounds, and if possible, GPS coordinates. Something to add, is that for each fish, you have an option of emailing it to a friend who might be interested in a fish that you’ve seen snorkeling. Our ambition is that the next phase of the app is going to involve the possibility for people to upload their own photos and participate in the app, in order for it to become a very big tool for exchanging and enriching information about Kuwaiti marine environment.
This is the first such effort in the Gulf, and also, I stress that it is free, and we believe that it should be free in order for everyone to profit from it. That’s why we want to obtain sponsorships, because we don’t see it as something to make profit of, but as something that should be offered to the people of Kuwait, and if possible, to offer it to the Arabian Gulf, which has no recognition of its extreme richness and beauty so far.

Q: What kind of people contributed to this?
NP: The app was designed by a company of young upbeat people who work in the States, who have formed a company called Science Seals. The developer of the app was a contributor to our Kuwait Turtle Conservation Project. He was asked to do monitoring work, but in parallel he was the founder of Science Seals, and it was his idea to develop the app. The database was meticulously put together by a young Kuwaiti marine biologist, who is now doing her PhD in the UK, with the assistance of other colleagues from KTCP and Biodiversity East, and I had the coordination efforts. Something to note is that a very prominent designer of this region made the design of the app for free. His name is Johnathan Ali Khan, and is the first filmmaker of a 3-dvd documentary regarding the environment in the Arabian Gulf.

Q: Do you have any records of how much the biomass in the region has decreased, what has affected it, and how it can be safeguarded?
NP: We don’t have the records, but very recently we were discussing with scientists who have the records in several official entities and they are ready to state how much the fish capital has decreased, and it’s been a huge deal of decrease of marine life in Kuwait. This is not only due to climate change, or pollution, as some may think; a huge reason is over-fishing and illegal fishing, and also the population explosion with all the effects that it has on the marine environment.
We believe Kuwait is making efforts to battle these problems, but more things need to be done, such as general environmental law, that needs to be adopted with specific penalties and specific protection measures, as well as a special authority that will be responsible for national reserves and sensitive area. These things are still not covered in Kuwait, which is not the case for Oman and the UAE, for example, or Qatar. They’re being more aggressive in terms of environmental conservation right now. I think Kuwait is trying to keep up, but more efforts need to be made towards this goal.

Q: Tell us about the kinds of coral reefs in Kuwait, and how they’re faring in the current environment, and what can be done to protect them?
NP: Unlike what people may think, Kuwait has several types of coral in its reefs; two or three prominent species exist, but it has been estimated that there are about 35 species of coral living in Kuwait; hermatypic and non-hermatypic, reefmaking and non-reefmaking. The reefs in the whole Arabian Gulf are under severe pressure, and thats why they don’t extend very much. They are under pressure, not just because of the environmental pressure other reefs are under, but also because the Arabian Gulf is a very warm, sometimes hot sea, and with extreme salinity. This is what makes these reefs more vulnerable than others, and this is why extremely important, on top of all the other pressure they’re under.
Something immediate is to not walk, anchor or dump fishing gear on reefs. We should try to see it as the living organism that it is. In terms of life, you can’t create a coral, in the same way that you can’t create a human being. You need to respect it as you would another living creature. Also, these corals that we destroy when we drop anchors could be 500 years old; it takes hundreds of years to make a coral reef and only one second to destroy. It is important that people understand the extreme importance of coral reefs, and their fragility. Because of reefs, we have fish, turtles and beauty in the water. And people come to see this beauty, so we can translate it into income, into food, into aesthetics. A reef is a landscape that is at least as beautiful as a desert or beautiful prairie.

Q: Under current law, the reefs aren’t officially protected, are they?
NP: Not officially, no. Coral reefs are peripherally mentioned in some legislation in Kuwait, but there’s no specific law covering a full integrated protection of the marine environment, be it the reef or endangered species or anything like that. This needs to be done.

biography
Nancy Papathanasopoulou and Stamis Zogaris are founding members of the NGO Biodiversity East. Nancy is an environmental lawyer, currently living in Dubai, and has worked on such projects as the Kuwait Turtle Conservation Project previously. Stamis holds a PhD in Geography and Biology, and is an expert geologist who works primarily with the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research.