Qatar is home to an impressive variety of unique terrestrial and marine animals, and the number of identified species in the region continues to grow. Current estimates claim 1,955 species, of which at least 955 are marine (Ministry of Environment, 2014; Richer, 2008). Many of the indigenous species are unique and rare exemplars of animal variation globally, such as the Dugong, which is one of four remaining members of the Order Sirenia; while others, such as the Arabian Oryx and Reem Gazelle, are important for Qatar’s national identity. Currently, more research is needed to comprehensively classify Qatar’s biodiversity. Increasingly, Qatar’s natural environment is under threat (Qatar General Secretariat for Development Planning, 2011) due to challenges posed by rapid industrialization, coastal development, climate change, invasive species, water scarcity, and desertification (Ministry of Environment, 2014; Richer, 2008); as well as pollution, habitat loss, hunting and collecting, and lack of awareness (IUCN Red List, 2019). Though reliable data on all species is unavailable, current estimates report 11 endangered species and 7 critically endangered species (IUCN Red List, 2019), which is likely an underestimate. To date, 12 nature reserves/biospheres have been created which comprise a total of 23.6% of Qatar’s land area, in addition to 2 marine protected areas compromising 47% of the total natural reserves (Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, 2017). In some cases, Qatar has succeeded in its conservation efforts. For example, the number of Arabian Oryx has increased from 880 to 1,658 animals from 2008 to 2016 (Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, 2017). However, according to Qatar National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (QNBSAP 2015 – 2025), Qatar has yet to implement management measures or monitoring programs to assess the effectiveness of conservation in its protected areas (Ministry of Environment, 2014). Furthermore, awareness programs aimed at educating local populations about the importance of biodiversity and the protection of habitats and species in the protected areas have not been developed. To this end, QNBSAP’s (2015 - 2025) second goal is to encourage public participation in biodiversity conservation and increased interest and awareness, specifically addressing Qatar National Targets 2.1 - 2.6 (Ministry of Environment, 2014). Our research is designed to directly inform and support these important goals and initiatives. Indeed, awareness is a critical factor in improving both public participation and conservation initiatives. Lack of knowledge and understanding of the benefits that biodiversity provides in terms of ecosystem services, species, and habitats limits conservation efforts both globally and in Qatar (Dietz & Adger, 2003; Richer, 2008). Studies in other global regions have demonstrated that the explicit attitudes, preferences, knowledge, values, and emotions that humans hold towards biodiversity (local and global) and conservation predict the plight of the flora and fauna in question (e.g., Ecceveri, Callahan, Chan, Satterfield and Zhao , 2017; Frigerio et al., 2019; Sirivongs & Tsuchiya, 2012). One of the important sociocultural factors that correlate with explicit preferences for a particular animal species is familiarity or awareness. Specifically, more familiar animals are favored over animals that people are less aware of (Serpell, 2004). Familiarity and animal preference is strongly influenced by increased exposure during childhood and positive childhood experiences (Stokes, 2006). A number of other factors influence human preference for animals and in turn success of conservation efforts, including phylogenetic similarity to humans (Balling & Falk, 1982; Serpell, 2004); increasing animal size; and biological class (i.e., mammals) (Kellert, 1993; Ward, Mosberger, Kistler and Fischer, 2008). Globally, research on the impact of human awareness and attitudes towards biodiversity is growing at a rapid pace. Exploring these fundamental research questions has led to intervention studies that explored possible mechanisms to improve awareness and attitudes, and to alter human behaviour to improve efforts to mitigate the various threats that animals face. Some promising results include studies that investigated the effect of empowering children as citizen scientists (Frigerio et al., 2019), targeting awareness campaigns towards specific populations (i.e., stakeholders) vs. the general public (Kanagavel, Raghavan and Verissimo, 2014); public pressure on multinational corporations (Sodhi, Sekercioglu, Barlow and Robinson, 2011); and ecotourism in national protected areas (Sirvongs & Tsuchiya, 2012). In summary, the present study is in line with a number of Qatar’s strategic goals for addressing biodiversity and conservation concerns related to lack of awareness. We aim to survey both citizens and residents about their awareness of and attitudes towards a selection of Qatar’s indigenous species. Our goal is to establish a baseline understanding of the population that can be used to educate the public, to inform curriculum and future research, and to create targeted awareness and intervention programs. Overall, our aim is to contribute to a sustainable future and to bolster Qatar’s efforts to positively impact awareness levels and population engagement in biodiversity and conservation issues.
