Healthy mangrove ecosystems are important for the food security, well-being, and protection of coastal communities all over the world. In this case, mangrove ecosystems are important in the Arab Gulf ecosystem, for both humans and animals. Mangroves have been present in the gulf for the longest time, providing important protections to associated ecosystems. The Al Thakira region, where mangroves are present, is a typical coastal system, only that it grows in one of the hardiest terrains known to man; not many plants and animal species can thrive here, and the significance of mangroves to the area cannot possibly be understated.
Qatar is one of the most rapidly developing countries in the world, and as the richest country in the world in terms of GDP, the high-income economy has enabled the small country to make significant developmental strides over the last few decades. Carugati et al. note that mangrove ecosystems are regions of his production, with rates which can be equaled to those of tropical humid evergreen forests (1). They provide breeding grounds, food, and nursery sites for a variety of marine and terrestrial organisms, including juvenile reef fish and many commercial species. In “Petro-Melancholia,” LeMenager explores the politics of representation, particular with regard to environmental disasters. She explores the BP Deepwater Horizon spill, noting that “it follows an unusual episode of de-reification, a failure of the commodity form’s abstraction” (LeMenager 26). She argues that the spill, a major ecological disaster, did not work as a “spectacle” as expected. Rather, it ascribes to Guy Debord’s sense of mystification of modern means of production through imagery.
LeMenager is suggesting that powerful people, mainly governments and corporations such as BP, tend to “sell” false hopes and impressions to the public using glorified media portrayals and content. By doing so, they avoid the public glare and backlash for the ecological disasters they may have been causing. For example, in the case of BP, LeMenager observes that the images and video of the spill available online only show oil shooting out of the damaged oil wells (26). She argues that BP manipulated these portrayals, terming them a “humiliation of modernity as it was understood in the twentieth century” (LeMenager 26). The same thing is happening to Qatar, with the government controlling the media narrative about the Shrimp farm which it commissioned in the Al Thakira region.
The harmful effects of Shrimp farming on mangrove ecosystems have been well documented. However, such narratives are barely highlighted or explored by the media. The narrative focuses on the issue of food security and Qatar’s achievement of its sustainability goals over the next few decades. In this case, popular narratives ignore and overlook the obvious environmental effects of shrimp farming, including habitat loss and the degradation of mangrove ecosystems. Mangroves are important in the region, particularly because it is one the few vegetations and habitats that can withstand the harsh climate and weather conditions. While shrimp farming is good, environmental conservation is more important.
Works Cited
Carugati, Laura, et al. “Impact of Mangrove Forests Degradation on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning.” Scientific Reports, vol.8, no.1, 2018, pp. 1-11.
LeMenager, Stephanie. “Petro-Melancholia: The BP Blowout and the Arts of Grief.” Qui Parle: Critical Humanities and Social Sciences vol. 19, no.2, 2011, pp. 25-55.
