Wetlands offer a guide to our environmental health
Hany Tatwany
A view of Khurais, a biodiverse wetland established by Aramco alongside its operating facilities. (Aramco photo)
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Freshwater ecosystems around the world are under intense pressure owing to a warming climate, pollution and declining biodiversity. Indeed, some 35 percent of wetland areas were lost between 1970 and 2015 — a rate three times faster than deforestation.
Of the remaining wetland habitats, 65 percent are deemed to be at moderate to high risk, while 37 percent of the world’s rivers that stretch more than 1,000 km are no longer free flowing throughout their entire length.
Freshwater habitats support more than 10 percent of all known species, including approximately a third of vertebrates and half of all fish, despite covering less than 1 percent of the Earth’s surface.
This diversity of life contributes to the cycling of nutrients, flood control and climate change mitigation, offers a bioindicator of wetland quality, and supports the culture and livelihoods of billions of people worldwide.
Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly degraded by pollution and land conversion for agricultural purposes, water extraction and the construction of dams, which also block fish migration routes.
Overfishing and the introduction of invasive alien species have also played a notably significant role in driving extinctions.
For more than 20 years, extinction risk assessments of bird, amphibian and mammal species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species have been crucial for tracking biodiversity trends and informing conservation policies.
However, freshwater fish and invertebrates have received minimal attention or investment from the conservation community.
Consequently, recent target-setting for freshwater systems has primarily concentrated on abiotic hydrological measures, such as water use and quality. This reliance assumes that terrestrial species data can effectively represent freshwater species.
Freshwater fish and invertebrates have received minimal attention or investment from the conservation community.
Hany Tatwany
However, evidence shows this approach is often inadequate, especially when the surrogate species are from different environmental realms. Furthermore, the validity of using abiotic surrogates for assessing freshwater biodiversity remains largely untested.
Until recently, freshwater habitats have not been given the same priority as their terrestrial and marine counterparts in global environmental governance and have often been included within either terrestrial or marine systems despite evidence of their distinct management needs.
For example, the UN Sustainable Development Goals primarily focus on terrestrial and marine biomes, even though freshwater species are vital to achieving these goals.
As nature’s contributions to people, known as NCP, are integrated into conservation policies, management and sustainability frameworks, it is essential to recognize that the role of wildlife remains significantly underrepresented in the scientific understanding underpinning these efforts.
Aligning existing evidence with the NCP conceptual framework will demonstrate that wildlife directly supports human well-being, from providing ecosystem services and addressing climate change to combating food insecurity.
The contributions of wildlife to people, known as WCP, refer to these benefits. Unfortunately, existing knowledge gaps pose a risk that undermines our policy and management initiatives, preventing us from meeting our NCP, biodiversity and sustainability goals.
Enhancing wildlife monitoring and modelling is essential for understanding WCP in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Addressing taxonomic, geographic and cultural biases in research is equally important.
These actions will help align biodiversity protection with NCP policies, fostering sustainable relationships with nature and balancing environmental protection with human well-being. In the process, we can rescue our wetlands from oblivion.
• Hany Tatwany is a highly knowledgeable conservationist with more than 38 years of experience in biodiversity conservation.
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point of view
Syrian electors cast ballots in indirect vote for first post-Assad parliament/node/2617799/middle-east
Syrian electors cast ballots in indirect vote for first post-Assad parliament
closing around 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT). A committee appointed by Sharaa approved 1,570 candidates who showcased their platforms in seminars and debates this week
Updated 05 October 2025
Reuters
DAMASCUS: Members of Syria’s electoral colleges will gather on Sunday to vote for new lawmakers, a milestone in the country’s shift away from the ousted regime of Bashar Assad and a major test of inclusivity under its current Islamist-led authorities.
President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who came to power after his rebel offensive toppled Assad in December, is trying to consolidate his hold over a nation fractured by a 14-year war and bouts of sectarian violence that fueled distrust of him among minorities.
The indirect vote will see a combined 6,000 electors cast ballots at regional electoral colleges starting around 9:00 a.m. local (0600 GMT), with polls closing around 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT).
A committee appointed by Sharaa approved 1,570 candidates who showcased their platforms in seminars and debates this week. But public electioneering was muted, with no posters or billboards visible in major cities, Reuters reporters said.
Sunday’s vote will determine two-thirds of the 210-seat parliament, and results are expected the same night. But the legislature will not be formally established until Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda fighter, selects the remaining third.
The authorities say they resorted to this system rather than universal suffrage due to a lack of reliable population data and following the displacement of millions of Syrians by the war.
Citing security and political reasons, they postponed the vote in three provinces held by minority groups — leaving 19 seats in parliament empty.
Critics have slammed those moves, saying a partial and indirect vote is unrepresentative and too centrally managed.
Analysts say Sharaa’s selection of 70 lawmakers will ultimately determine the new body’s effectiveness and legitimacy: choosing women or minority lawmakers could add diversity, but loyalists could help him to issue laws without a legislative challenge.
Lebanon crooner turned fugitive militant surrenders himself to army: judicial source
Fadl Shaker surrendered himself to the Lebanese army at the entrance to the Ain Al-Hilweh camp
Updated 05 October 2025
AFP
BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanese crooner-turned-fugitive militant Fadl Shaker surrendered himself to Lebanese authorities on Saturday after hiding in a Palestinian camp for over a decade, a Lebanese judicial official said.
Shaker, a popular singer born to a Palestinian mother and a Lebanese father, was accused of taking part in 2013 clashes in Sidon, south Lebanon, that opposed Salafist Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir and his supporters with the Lebanese military which left 17 soldiers dead.
While Shaker was a supporter of Assir, he denied involvement in the clashes and has been hiding in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain Al-Hilweh, the biggest Palestinian camp in the country where Lebanese authorities had no jurisdiction.
Assir was sentenced to death in 2017, then to 20 years of hard labor in 2021.
In 2020, Lebanon’s military tribunal sentenced Shaker to 22 years in prison for providing financial and logistical support to the “terrorist” Assir-led group.
“Fadl Shaker surrendered himself to the Lebanese army at the entrance to the Ain Al-Hilweh camp as a prelude to concluding his legal case,” a judicial source told AFP on Saturday.
By longstanding convention, the Lebanese army stays out of the Palestinian camps and leaves Palestinian factions to handle security.
A source close to Shaker told AFP the singer was “confident in his innocence and in the independence of the judiciary.”
Shaker in July released a song while in hiding, which topped charts in the Arab world.
His video clip, filmed in Ain Al-Hilweh, reached over 113 million views on YouTube.
How PR firms are whitewashing genocide in Gaza to rebrand Israel’s global image
PR firms and marketing agencies are under fire for promoting Israeli narratives amid ongoing war in Gaza
Israel is spending unprecedented millions on a large-scale, tech-savvy strategy to polish its global reputation
Updated 44 sec ago
SHEROUK ZAKARIA and ZAIRA LAKHPATWALA
DUBAI: Contracts filed under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act have revealed the reach of a sprawling, state-backed media campaign, funded by an additional $150 million approved last year, for Israel’s foreign ministry to polish the country’s tarnished reputation.
The campaign, known in Hebrew as Hasbara, comes as Israel’s military operation in Gaza, launched in retaliation for the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, has been widely branded an act of genocide against the Palestinian people.
Major public relations firms now face accusations of whitewashing Israel’s behavior.
Recent FARA disclosures uncovered a highly coordinated, tech-driven propaganda operation through the German division of Havas Media Group — one of the world’s largest advertising firms — and a network of politically connected American PR agencies.
Amid warnings of famine setting in Gaza (top), a pro-Israel PR group came up with the meme (lower frame) denying the existence of people starving in the Palestinian enclave. (AFP)
The strategy aims to flood the internet with content crafted to reshape global perception of Israel, particularly among US and European audiences, as images of civilian casualties and razed neighborhoods in Gaza continue to dominate headlines and social media.
The most advanced aspect of this propaganda machine involves manipulating AI-driven content.
Clock Tower X, a US firm led by President Donald Trump’s former campaign aide Brad Parscale, was hired by Havas to create websites designed to influence how AI models like ChatGPT respond to prompts about Israel and the war in Gaza.
This tactic, known as GPT framing, aims to embed pro-Israel narratives directly into the training data.
. on how Israeli-paid influencers making upwards of $7K per post remain anonymous. For now.
— Responsible Statecraft (@RStatecraft)
According to the $6 million contract, drafted on Aug. 27, Clock Tower X plans to produce targeted content for Generation Z audiences across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, podcasts and other digital platforms in response to declining support for Israel among younger Americans.
The company said it would complete an “initial cultural, demographic and sentiment research report” for Israel within 30 days, according to a FARA filing.
To maximize reach, the firm is also using MarketBrew AI, a predictive search engine optimization tool, to “improve the visibility and ranking of relevant narratives” on search engines like Google and Bing.
Caption
On Tuesday, another FARA filing revealed a $900,000 influencer campaign, dubbed the “Esther Project,” which pays US-based TikTok and Instagram influencers up to $7,000 per post to promote pro-Israel content.
The campaign, involving 14 to 18 influencers, is managed by Bridges Partners LLC, a firm subcontracted by Havas to recruit and coordinate US-based influencers to “assist with promoting cultural interchange between the US and Israel.”
Another US-based firm, Stagwell Global, conducted polling and focus groups to advise the Israeli government on messaging strategies for international media.
On Sept. 5, independent outlet Drop Site News published leaked documents claiming that Stagwell Group had been commissioned by Israel’s foreign ministry to test campaign messages aimed at improving the country’s image in the US and Europe.
Sherry Adud, Elyse Slaine, Lacey Adud and Esther Michaels attend The Lawfare Project Hamptons 2025 Benefit To #EndJewHatred at Southampton Arts Center on August 07, 2025 in Southampton, New York. (AFP)
The PR firm, led by longtime Israeli ally and American political strategist Mark Penn, advised that the most effective strategy was to stoke fear of “radical Islam” and religious extremism.
The leaked report showed recommendations on using messages about terrorism, suggesting that framing these ideologies as threats to other religions was a tactic shown to be especially persuasive among conservative audiences.
SKDK, a subsidiary of Stagwell Group, is also responsible for running an AI-powered influence campaign aimed at flooding platforms like X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn with pro-Israel content, according to Sludge News.
The $600,000 contract, signed on April 28 and filed under FARA in August, outlined plans on how SKDK will “flood the zone” with pro-Israel messages using automated AI-powered bots to amplify the reach and visibility of the content.
SKDK was also tasked with training Israeli spokespeople for media appearances, coordinating outreach to global outlets including CNN, BBC and Fox News, and testing the use of, and potentially work with, influencers.
Caption
However, SKDK ended its work with the Israeli government soon after and began deregistering on Aug. 31. Stagwell also confirmed it had concluded its involvement, according to a statement provided to Politico.
Both companies were reportedly subcontracted by Havas.
In a statement to Arab News, a Stagwell spokesperson said the company was hired as a subcontractor by Havas to “complete this work as part of a broader project” but it did not “know the nature of Havas’ broader contract with the (Israeli ministry).”
“Our agencies work across the political and issue spectrum and this project done by a small team working on a defined brief does not reflect a shift in that approach,” the spokesperson said. The polling project for Israel, they said, had been completed.
Havas did not immediately respond to Arab News’ request for comment.
The FARA revelations have sparked industry-wide outrage and a call for stronger ethics and regulation in the PR industry.
Industry bodies like the Public Relations and Communications Association and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations have a set of international guidelines that require agencies to uphold transparency and accuracy.
Abeer Al-Najjar, associate professor of media and journalism studies at the American University of Sharjah, said under the international PR codes of ethics, contracts between a state and a PR agency should be disclosed to allow the media and public to assess the context of information campaigns.
“This allows journalists to make informed judgments about materials, interviews or narratives promoted by the agency,” she told Arab News.
Abeer Al-Najjar, associate professor of media and journalism studies at the American University of Sharjah. (AFP/File)
l-Najjar said that ethical standards required PR professionals to “avoid spreading misinformation, unverifiable claims or selective framing that could distort public understanding” — principles that are critical during a time of conflict such as the one in Gaza to “protect the integrity of journalism, ensure accountability and prevent PR from becoming a tool of propaganda.”
In light of the recent FARA revelations, industry nonprofit, the Ethical Agency Alliance, said on Thursday that it was expanding its commitments to include the refusal of “all contracts that involve manipulating public opinion to obscure, justify or sanitize atrocities — including war crimes, crimes against humanity or other serious breaches of international law — through communications, branding or public relations.”
Despite the lack of strict regulations, Chris Doyle, director of the London-based Council for Arab-British Understanding, said PR professionals had a duty to “do no harm.”
“It is very hard to imagine a way in which a PR firm could work with a state (such as) Israel that is in the process of genocide, the crime of apartheid and other war crimes and not violate that cardinal principle,” he told Arab News.
In 2017, global PR firm Bell Pottinger was expelled from the Public Relations and Communications Association following an investigation into its campaign allegedly designed to spark racial tensions in South Africa.
Our industry is built on trust.
PRCA’s Codes of Conduct give members a clear framework to uphold the highest ethical and professional standards.
In 2015, another firm, Edelman, came under fire over its representation of ExxonMobil and Shell while it publicly promoted sustainability. Senior staff members and notable clients severed their relationship with the firm, criticizing it for its unethical greenwashing practices.
At a time when PR firms often get a bad rap, it would be prudent for them to stay away from political campaigns, Doyle said.
“For any firm to get into a situation where they are seen as participants in a war (or) assisting a party committing war crimes … it should be catastrophic for their reputations. The fact that it is not begs questions about how they’re held to account.”
He said Israel, with a record of spreading misinformation and disinformation, made it impossible for PR agencies to implement their duty to be honest and not spread falsehoods.
“It is very hard to imagine a way in which a PR firm could work with a state (such as) Israel that is in the process of genocide ... and not violate that cardinal principle,” Chris Doyle, he told Arab News.
Hasbara is not new. Israel is accused of running coordinated information warfare campaigns during every major assault on Gaza in 2012, 2014 and 2021.
Its propaganda apparatus has grown significantly in scale and technological sophistication, evolving into a fully digitized operation that spans search engine manipulation, influencer payments, AI model training and deepfake visuals.
Earlier reports, including a May 2024 investigation by Qatari media, documented the alleged use of AI-powered “superbots” designed to swarm social platforms, target pro-Palestinian posts and amplify Israeli talking points in real time.
The bots, said to be increasingly indistinguishable from human users, are part of a wider shift toward algorithmic propaganda.
According to Israeli media reports, the $150 million boost approved in December represented a more than twentyfold increase in its typical budget for international messaging — an urgent push to salvage Israel’s image as it faces mounting diplomatic pressure and global isolation.
Al-Najjar warned of the damage that state-funded campaigns can cause to public trust and discourse as well as meaningful journalism.
For example, they might include “reputation laundering, agenda-setting, and selective storytelling, all of which can suppress or marginalize critical reporting,” she said.
Caption
The risks are exacerbated by technology, as governments “increasingly deploy superbots, paid influencers and AI-driven content to simulate grassroots opinion, misrepresent public sentiment and overwhelm critical voices.”
Al-Najjar said that over time, propaganda normalized as marketing eroded trust, desensitized audiences to atrocity, distorted history and silenced marginal voices.
It also resulted in “a distorted global understanding of conflict, where ethical debates, accountability and informed public discourse are compromised.”
When PR executive Richard Edelman warned brands in January 2024 to “stay out of politics” amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or risk long-term damage, his advice seems to have fallen on deaf ears among many in the industry.
Now, PR firms engaged in Israeli-backed campaigns are entangled in accusations of complicity in genocide, with their reputations on the line.
As Lameya Chaudhury, head of social impact at advertising firm Lucky Generals, said in a statement by the Ethical Agency Alliance: “Let’s be clear: If you take money to sanitize atrocities, you’re complicit.”
The PR and advertising industry “can’t keep pretending it’s neutral” because “every time you take a brief, you take a side,” she said.
What We Are Reading Today: The Secrets of Silence by Shannon Malone Gonzalez
Updated 04 October 2025
Arab News
In “The Secrets of Silence,” Shannon Malone Gonzalez investigates how the policing of black women is tied to the policing of their stories.
Over a period of four years, Malone Gonzalez conducted intimate life-history interviews with black women about their encounters, listening to those who had never shared their stories before, had never even been asked to, or had tried repeatedly to speak to those around them to no avail.
They all described the unspoken or whispered connections in the ways officers and communities socially control black women to put them “in their place.”
One killed in Ireland as Storm Amy hits northern Europe
More than 200,000 properties in Ireland and Northern Ireland were left without power
Updated 04 October 2025
AP
LONDON: London’s famed Royal Parks shut their gates on Saturday and road, rail and sea travel faced major disruption as a storm walloped the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia with heavy rain and high winds.
More than 200,000 properties in Ireland and Northern Ireland were left without power, and a man died in Letterkenny, northwest Ireland, on Friday in what police called a weather-related incident, without giving details.
Britain’s Met Office weather agency said a gust of 154 kph was recorded on Friday on the island of Tiree off Scotland’s west coast. In Scotland, many ferry services were suspended and roads and railway lines blocked by fallen trees.
Fraser Wilson of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said engineers were working to restore power to about 62,000 customers.
“We expect because of the extent of damage to the network and conditions we are still going to be facing today that this will take some time,” he told the BBC. “This storm is not over by any means.”
In London, Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Richmond Park and several other green spaces that are a magnet for locals and tourists were shut all day Saturday because of “severe wind gusts.”
