Inside The Mangrove Lab at the 2026 Qatar ExxonMobil Open

During the 2026 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, children visited the Mangrove Lab, an educational space set up by ExxonMobil Research Qatar (EMRQ) and Dadu Children’s Museum of Qatar. Dressed in lab coats and holding clipboards, visitors learned about Qatar’s mangrove ecosystems.

EMRQ has been studying Qatar’s native Avicennia marina, or grey mangrove, to support the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in restoring mangrove ecosystems along the coast. To share this work with children, EMRQ and Dadu created activities that turned real scientific discoveries into fun, hands-on learning experiences.

During the activities, children were encouraged to think and experiment like environmental scientists. At The Mangrove Lab, they explored a key question that reflects our own research: What helps mangroves thrive in Qatar’s environment?

Rather than just being told the answer, they investigated it themselves.

Children formed hypotheses, worked with different soil types, compared salinity levels, and looked at how environmental factors affect plant growth. The space was set up like a small research lab, with lab coats and tools that encouraged them to test their ideas in the real world.

Over six days, 167 children took part, along with 144 adults who were just as eager to learn. Their involvement demonstrated that when science is presented in a hands-on, interactive way, it resonates with people of all ages.

EMRQ’s collaboration with Dadu combined scientific research and creative learning with a shared goal of supporting Qatar’s broader sustainability efforts. The Mangrove Lab showed both how working together can help young people understand the importance of protecting local ecosystems and how they can shape the country’s environmental future.