HuDoNet participated in the Sharjah International Conservation Forum for Arabian Biodiversity and the network grew
SICFAB and Marine Mammals
The 24th edition of the Sharjah International Conservation Forum for Arabian Biodiversity (SICFAB) took place early in February 2025 in Sharjah in the UAE. The ultimate goal of the forum is to facilitate the development of conservation strategies and action plans for Arabia’s threatened taxa. This annual gathering brings together researchers and various stakeholders specialising in environmental science and biodiversity to address pressing conservation challenges, fostering collaboration among various institutions and organisations.
Each year, SICFAB focuses on a distinct set of conservation issues. One of the major themes in this year’s forum was marine mammals, with an emphasis on strandings. It was a first for the region - a coordinated focus on marine mammals.
HuDoNet and the MRI Whale Unit's Involvement
SICFAB’s organisers invited Pretoria University’s Mammal Research Institute's (MRI) Whale Unit to share the learnings from their long-term monitoring of southern right whales, a project that has been ongoing since 1969. As noted in the invitation, this programme "serves as an outstanding example of sustained scientific commitment, demonstrating the invaluable insights into ecosystem health that can be gained from long-term monitoring." The organisers also asked us to describe the ins and outs of South Africa’s stranding networks, to stimulate discussion about different ways that such networks can be organised and function.
The MRI Whale Unit’s involvement in SICFAB was relevant because it hosts the coordinator of the Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin Conservation Network (HuDoNet). All three organisations share the goal of fostering collaborative conservation. HuDoNet had much to gain from sending its coordinator to attend the forum. We know that Endangered humpback dolphins occur in some waters surrounding the Arabian Peninsula yet there are substantial knowledge gaps. Notably, three of the seven countries that are not yet represented in HuDoNet are from this region. For these many reasons, I was eager to participate and learn at SICFAB.
During the forum, I delivered several presentations. One emphasised the immense value of long-term southern right whale monitoring data that is being collected by the MRI Whale Unit, which allowed them to detect demographic changes to the population and investigate their drivers. Another presentation included the polar opposite: a Rapid Cetacean Assessment, a method developed by HuDoNet’s Gill Braulik to conduct large-scale surveys quickly and cost-effectively to identify priority areas for future research. In addition, I shared insights into national and provincial stranding networks in South Africa.
Expanding HuDoNet’s Reach
SICFAB provided a valuable platform for networking. I was excited to meet several HuDoNet members in person for the first time, including Prof. John Wong and Shivani Patel from Qatar’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and Caitlin McFarlane and Bryana Cope from Zayed University. I also had the chance to spend quality time with Ada Natoli, who leads cetacean research in the UAE and is one of HuDoNet's founders. These biologists and others from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen included humpback dolphins in their presentations and reports.
A particularly exciting outcome of the forum was the recruitment of four new HuDoNet members—two from Saudi Arabia and two from Yemen. Yemen was previously unrepresented in HuDoNet, making this a significant step forward in expanding our network’s reach. We warmly welcome our new members and look forward to working together to advance humpback dolphin conservation efforts in their regions.
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