Qatar University Students Learn Green Lesson During Field Trip

Doha, January 08 (QNA) - Fifteen students from Qatar University (QU) College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) learnt a lesson on sustainable development during a field trip to the mangrove and salt marsh ecosystems at Al Khor and Al Dhakeera, the university said Tuesday. Qatar Shell Professorial Chair for Sustainable Development at QU Professor Mohamed Ajmal Khan led the Sustainable Development class during the excursion held jointly with the UNESCO office in Doha. The objective of trip, held December 22, was to raise the awareness of QU students on basic mangrove ecology, the importance of ecosystems for biodiversity conservation, re-creation, and carbon sequestration. Before the field trip, the students saw a presentation on 'Floating mangroves for carbon sequestration' by UNESCO Doha Office Ecological Sciences Advisor Arab Region Dr Benno Boer. They also learned about zoning of coastal inter-tidal vegetation in the Gulf from Dr Boer and Prof Khan, who also explained that that these ecosystems can thrive in hot dry climates without any supply of freshwater because they are seawater-tolerant. Commenting on the trip, Professor Khan said, "Information on the significance of protecting coastal ecosystem and its impact on Qatar's sustainable development was given by Dr Boer who is an expert on this issue. The students were able to see and touch the mangroves and collecting litter was a way of sending a message on the necessity of keeping our ecosystem in good health." CAS Dean Dr Eiman Mustafawi said, "This trip is an example of our continued effort towards providing students in the College of Arts and Sciences with hands-on experience. For this particular topic, it is very important for the students to connect what they learn in the classroom with real-life applications in their own country. We will continue seeking opportunities to provide our students with such enriching experiences." The students carried out an on-site 15-minute exercise, collecting dumped litter of 20 glass bottles, glass-fragments of 6 bottles. 53 aluminum cans, 5 large aluminum food-trays, 45 plastic bottles, 30 other items such as bags and wrappers, and an additional 25 kg of fish-nets and nylon-ropes. The fish-nets which are also known as ghost-nets contribute to killing a significant number of fish, crabs, as well as marine turtles, dugongs, and dolphins. (QNA)