Qatar’s Wildlife Treasures
and die if the temperature changes by just a few degrees. They could well become the corals of the future she told us, and that is yet another crucial reason to make more efforts to protect them. The documentary also features the excellent work of Jose Saucedo, who organises beach clean ups and raises awareness among our community about just how much plastic we discard and how it pollutes our beaches, waters and wildlife. The half hour on Qatar’s wildlife made quite the splash - everyone in Qatar seemed to be talking about it. It got a lot of attention on social media too, and nowadays it is often featured on promotional videos about Qatar: the whale sharks, birds and mangroves. Many people really did not know how rich this tiny country, Qatar, is in wildlife and nature. Not only did the programme create a real buzz here in Qatar, but the BBC’s Planet Earth reached out about a few parts of it, particularly the dugongs. They want to feature them on an episode about sea grass. Imagine Sir David Attenborough narrating Qatar’s dugongs.
Bringing awareness is, of course, a fantastic thing. But with awareness also comes responsibility. When I asked Professor Mehsin about what was important to him, he told me education: to educate people about protecting nature, to educate them not to litter and to not use plastic. It’s hard, he said, but it can be done. And to leave nature alone. Even if it is damaged he told us, if you leave it alone, it will recover.
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