GREEN WARRIORS: A previous mangrove clean up sponsored by I Love Qatar that Entalek participated in. Photo credit: George Delfino
By Anand Holla
As tree huggers across the world gear up to celebrate the International Mangrove Action Day on July 26, Doha-based Entalek Eco Adventures is calling all nature lovers of Qatar to join hands in cleaning up the Al Thakira mangrove beach this Saturday.
Mangroves, best described as our insurance against the wrath of nature, are fantastic botanical amphibians that straddle both land and sea. Al Thakira, which is to the north of Al Khor, is home to Qatar’s most established mangrove swamps and is also the only area where the grey mangroves grow naturally.
Steve Rhodes, founder of Entalek, says, “Here, in Qatar, we want to show our solidarity with others in the world who are trying to raise awareness about mangroves. We will also be hosting a photography contest after Eid, the goal of which will be to raise awareness about Qatar’s mangroves and get people to see how beautiful they are.”
The evening will kick off with a small beach clean-up drive from 5pm; followed by night kayaking with barbecue and bonfire after 7pm. Rhodes says that the mangroves provide one of the best tourist destinations that Qatar has on offer.
“That’s why we want to generate awareness that Qatar has an incredible beauty that can be utilised as an eco-friendly tourist destination. While plastic pollution and coastal development are a threat to Qatar’s mangroves, it’s exciting to imagine how Qatar could use its resources to develop mangrove forests as a way to boost eco-tourism. Mangroves could be planted on artificial islands that are slated to be built, and this would be a real benefit to visitors,” he says.
Despite knowing that Eid is right around the corner and hence not many volunteers may turn up, Rhodes couldn’t let go of such a special day to show that we could do our part. “We will use our pick-up and have people clean up a crescent-shaped kilometre of the beach in Al Thakira. People often complain how dirty the beaches are. By organising this clean-up, we are letting people get a chance to make a difference,” adds Rhodes.
The job doesn’t end with the clean-up drive for Entalek. In fact, half of the proceeds from their kayaking tours this weekend will be donated to the Mangrove Action Project. “We also are excited about the work of Qatar University Environmental Club and support their initiative of gathering and raising mangrove seeds in order to replant mangroves across various areas of Qatar,” he says.
Entalek, which means “to go” in Arabic, was the first company to provide commercial kayaking tours through the Al Thakira mangroves and has taken more than 5,000 people on tours through this spectacular ecosystem. With a mission to promote Qatar’s environment and culture by having people discover the feeling of being in the lap of Qatar’s nature, Entalek aspires to work with various organisations in Qatar to develop world-class environmental and experiential education programmes for schools as well as support the eco-tourism sector, Rhodes points out.
Mangroves are trees that grow along the seashore of the tropics and the subtropics. They are crucial for marine life as they provide nursery grounds for fish and crab, which flourish under its protection, while birds roost in the canopy, shellfish attach themselves to the roots, and crocodiles and snakes come to hunt. While mangroves live up to 100 years, it takes just one day to destroy an entire mangrove forest.
Shrimp farming has been largely responsible for the loss of mangrove forests in Asia and South America. “Cutting down mangrove forests to provide area for shrimp farms has caused the loss of a way of life for indigenous peoples as the environmental degradation reduces naturally grown fish,” says Rhodes.
In 2004, at the Second Assembly of the International Redmanglar, an umbrella collective of communities, organisations, scholars, scientists and activists for the defence and protection of the mangrove ecosystems, The International Day for the Protection of Mangroves was formally institutionalised.
According to the Mangrove Action Project, the day’s celebrations has its roots in 1998, when traditional fishermen of Ecuadoran mangrove forests joined forces with environmental organisations and representatives of Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia and the United States, the national and international press and the crew of the ship Rainbow Warrior of GreenPeace.
The action sought to restore mangrove dynamics in response to illegal shrimp farming in the area. Mangrove Action Day aims to promote the importance of mangroves, as one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, highlighting the multiple benefits for local communities and biodiversity and ecological processes.
It’s also a day to remember the role of mangroves as natural buffers against the effects of storms, hurricanes and tsunamis; and support livelihoods of communities that depend directly or indirectly from it.
