JEDDAH, 4 April 2005 — The first Red Sea Preservation Forum will be held tomorrow at Effat College from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The forum’s theme is “Red Sea: Our Planet” and it aims to increase public awareness of the Red Sea ecosystem by inviting educators, students, scientists, conservation organizations and concerned individuals to share and disseminate information, research and resources. The goal is to encourage greater understanding, appreciation and activism through knowledge of the Red Sea. The forum will be an annual feature.
Effat College, in cooperation with Al-Taher Group, Reef Chief and the Regional Organization for the Preservation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA), is hosting the forum.
“Facts speak for themselves. Coral reefs are the foundation of ecosystems. Without them, our seas would be virtually empty. Experts refer to coral reefs as the ‘rain forests of the sea’. They protect the coastlines of over 100 countries and play a vital role in our world’s economy. If coral reefs disappear, then how will this affect the health of the planet itself?” asked Tarek Taher, president and CEO of Al-Taher Group and founder of Reef Chief.
Taher will be among the presenters along with Abdullah Al-Suhibany, head of the Natural Resources and Protected Areas Unit at PERSGA, Dr. Ahmed Khalil, director of Suakin Marine Station and assistant professor of Marine Ecology at the University of Khartoum, and Keith Sproul, chairman of the International Ecotourism Society.
Dr. Anastasia Kamanos Gamelin, an assistant professor at Effat College who teaches a course on environmental education, said she hoped that the forum would be a step toward making students and the public ecologically literate.
