Gulf ecology hit by coastal development

摘要

Untrammelled development, weak regulatory oversight and a lack of scientific monitoring are seriously threatening ecosystems along the coast of the Gulf, according to an extensive assessment of the regions marine environment. Sea-front projects ranging from desalination plants to artificial islands in the gulf between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran have transformed the entire coastline in the past few decades. More than 40% of some countries' shores are now developed. The change is happening more quickly, and with greater environmental impact, than in any other coastal region. "Things are being put in place so quickly we don't know what is going to happen," says Peter Sale, a marine ecologist at the United Nations University (UNU) Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, who co-authored the report1.