Ecology

ABSTRACT: The primary aim of this paper is the identification and prioritization of national objectives for marine conservation in Bahrain. The paper tries to give a locally oriented questionnaire (Arabic language) which is essential for any research work especially in the current linguistic and cultural context. In this survey the stakeholders who shared the marine environment in Bahrain identify and prioritize the marine conservation objectives for Bahrain. The response rate of the survey is 83%, a high rate for Bahrain. The survey reveals that most of the objectives presented in the questionnaire are important to the stakeholders. The survey also measures the view of the stakeholders to the two already declared marine reserves viz. Ras Sanad and the Hawar islands in Bahrain. The majority agrees with both these sites with more preference to Hawar islands. The stakeholders also propose 47 sites and site attributes to be protected in Bahrain’s territorial waters.