ExxonMobil’s environmental campaign focuses on dugongs

ExxonMobil Qatar has launched an “exciting and creative” environmental campaign, focusing on dugongs, which will run as part of its activities for the 2019 Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The campaign, which was launched on November 27, started in government schools where students were given a chance to help name the campaign’s mascot and other characters. The mascot will be featured at three stands in different locations around Doha, and will help educate the general public on Qatar’s dugongs and engage the local community in preservation efforts, ExxonMobil Qatar has said in a statement.Dugongs are marine mammals that are commonly known as “sea cows”. They can grow to about 3m in length, weigh as much as 400kg and live to over the age of 70 years. Qatari dugongs are part of a larger group found in the Arabian Gulf – which is believed to be around 6,000 to 7,000 individuals – and the second largest group in the world after Australia.  ExxonMobil Qatar’s research centre – ExxonMobil Research Qatar (EMRQ) has worked closely with Qatar University to study Qatar’s dugong population and better understand how to help protect it with the collaboration and support of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment. Dugongs play a role in helping maintain healthy seagrass meadows - they help ensure vegetative balance and play an important role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. They also add to the marine biodiversity of the region. Dugongs are International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)-listed as vulnerable, which suggests that they are facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future. Many of them get caught up in fishing nets and ropes and drown. “This is why it is critical that the people of Qatar are educated about dugongs and the importance of conserving this native species with the help of platforms like the social media campaign that includes fun yet educational competitions,” the statement notes.As part of its overall social media campaign for the tournament, ExxonMobil Qatar has planned three competitions under the environmental awareness campaign for its followers on Twitter and Instagram. The first competition invites followers to put on scuba diving gear and take a selfie with the campaign mascot at an ExxonMobil Qatar stand located in Doha Festival City from tomorrow until December 15, Villagio Mall from December 16 to 31, and Souq Waqif from December 20 to January 5, and then post it on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #Dugongs_matter. Three weekly participants will be selected through a raffle draw to win a prize, with a total of 12 lucky winners.  The second competition on social media is a trivia one. Every week between December 10 and January 5, ExxonMobil Qatar will post dugong facts on ExxonMobil Qatar Instagram and Twitter accounts and at the end of each week, followers will be asked a question, the answers of which are in the weekly posts. Once they find the answer, they will need to repost it using the hashtag #Dugong_facts. They will then enter a raffle for the chance to win one of three prizes every week, with a total of 12 prizes.In addition to the social media competitions, ExxonMobil Qatar has planned entertaining activities for people visiting the stands around Doha, as well as its stand at the tournament’s Public Village that will be held from December 31 until January 5, 2019. These activities will engage as many people as possible to help them understand the importance of protecting Qatar’s dugongs. EMRQ was established at the Qatar Science & Technology Park in 2009 to conduct research in areas of common interest to Qatar and ExxonMobil, including environmental management, water reuse, LNG safety and coastal geology.