ABSTRACT
The ecological state of the Persian or Arabian Gulf (hereafter 'Gulf') is in sharp decline. Calls for comprehensive ecosystem-based management approaches and transboundary conservation have gone largely unanswered, despite mounting marine threats made worse by climate change. The region's long-standing political tensions add additional complexity, especially now as some Gulf countries will soon adopt ambitious goals to protect their marine environments as part of new global environmental commitments. The recent interest in global commitments comes at a time when diplomatic relations among all Gulf countries are improving. There is a window of opportunity for Gulf countries to meet global marine biodiversity conservation commitments, but only if scientists engage in peer-to-peer diplomacy to build trust, share knowledge and strategize marine conservation options across boundaries. The Gulf region needs more ocean diplomacy and coordination; just as critically, it needs actors at its science-policy interface to find better ways of adapting cooperative models to fit its unique marine environment, political context and culture. We propose a practical agenda for scientist-led diplomacy in the short term and lines of research from which to draw (e.g. co-production, knowledge exchange) to better design future science diplomacy practices and processes suited to the Gulf's setting.
ABSTRACT
Biological parameters including allometry, condition index and secondary production were estimated for Barbatia decussata on rocky intertidal shores in the northern Persian Gulf (Iran) between August 2011 to September 2012. Relationship between shell dimensions (length, height, width, hinge) as well as relationship between shell length and weight (total wet weight, tissue wet weight, tissue dry weight, tissue ash free dry weight, shell dry weight, shell ash free dry weight) were estimated with b (equilibrium constant) values ranging from 3.023 to 3.347 (3.180 ± 0.120). The b value between shell length and total wet weight was 3.181, indicating positive allometric growth pattern. Relationships between shell length-total wet weight (TLW), shell length-tissue wet weight (WW), shell length-tissue dry weight (DW), shell length-tissue ash free dry weight (AFDW), shell length-shell dry weight (sDW) and shell length-shell ash free dry weight (sAFDW) were 0.0001xSL(3.181), 0.000015SL(3.347), 0.000006SL(3.169), 0.000004SL(3.234), 0.000074SL(3.150) and 0.000004SL(3.023), respectively. The condition index varied from 13.80 to 20.26 increasing from January 2012 to August 2012. Annual production, mean biomass and production to biomass ratio (P/ ) were 6.31 (g AFDWm(-2) year(-1)), 5.52 (g AFDWm(-2)) and 1.14 year(-1) respectively.
