Most University academics are required to have a PhD which is a specialist training in an area of expertise. In my case I have a PhD in Ornithology and Environment from Trinity College Dublin. An academic’s career depends on the pursuit of research in his or her specialist area and the publication of findings from that research. We use the expression ‘Publish or Perish’ to indicate the importance of this.
While in Ireland I conducted research on the conservation of the endangered grey partridge. This work was funded by Bord na Mona, Cement Roadstone Holdngs, the National Wildlife Service and latterly by the European Commission. The outcome of the research was the implementation of a National Conservation Strategy for this Grey Partridge, a project that is still running successfully today. The number of birds remaining in the population has gone from 21 to 250 birds in the wild.
Transferring this expertise to Bahrain has been difficult. There is no culture of R&D funding (Research and Development) and awareness of environmental issues is poor. No Research Institutes providing grants for environmental studies exist here and the ‘corporate conscience’ which is well established in Europe is non-existent in the Gulf States. Even international companies operating in the Middle East seldom have an environmental brief.
Since coming to Bahrain I have adopted the same approach as that used in Ireland. I have fostered close collaboration with Government agencies especially the Commission for the Marine and Wildlife, I have been appointed the Chairman of the Bahrain Natural History Society and am promoting environmental awareness. I have also obtained permission to use the ringing scheme of the British Trust for Ornithology here in Bahrain and I have trained the first local bird ringer in the Middle East. To date we have ringed over 5,500 birds of 130 species. We have a project on the breeding Terns of Al Jarrim Islands which holds internationally important numbers of Lesser-crested, Bridled and White-cheeked terns and are hoping to secure funding for a postgraduate student to conduct a research project there.
All expatriates (including everybody in the audience) bring expertise to Bahrain. Apart from teaching and administration in RCSI, I brought expertise in Ornithology and the Environment and through my contacts locally and internationally I am striving to leave a legacy in this field for the future of Bahrain.