The three-day symposium is being organized by the Khaled Bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KBSLOF). It will be held under the support of Prince Khaled bin Sultan, deputy minister of defense at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Jeddah, while the scientific sessions will be held at KAUST.

The symposium will highlight the activities of KBSLOF over the past 10 years in collaboration with the Saudi Wildlife Authority (SWA) and the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI) at Nova Southern University in Florida.

The foundation had conducted extensive marine and aerial surveys for the coral reefs along the Saudi coast of the Red Sea that resulted in producing the first atlas for Red Sea marine life and environment.

The product is regarded as an unprecedented effort where scientists from the foundation and several American institutes such as NCRI took part in the research.

Speaking to Arab News, the symposium’s general coordinator Abdulaziz Abuzinada said the setting up of the Saudi Marine Society is a major initiative in the field of marine conservation.

He said Prince Khaled will be honorary chairman of the proposed society. The Khaled Bin Sultan Chair for Marine Science will also be revealed at the inauguration, he added.

Abuzinada, the former secretary-general of the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development, before it was renamed the Saudi Wildlife Authority, said the new marine society would handle pollution problems that affect the environmental balance in the coastal areas of the Kingdom.

In a statement released prior to the event, Prince Khaled said he was happy he has been able to support various pieces of research for more than four years.

The results and the scientific achievements of this research will be presented at the symposium, he added. “Our studies in the coral reefs in the Red Sea have undoubtedly expanded our knowledge of the ecological systems there,” he added.

Different national organizations concerned with coral reef conservation will participate in the scientific sessions of the symposium.

Such attendees include officials from KBSLOF, SWA, The Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden (PERSGA), NCRI, KAUST, King Abdulaziz University, Taif University, Presidency of Meteorology and Environment and General Commission for Survey.

The scientific sessions will cover various topics such as the status of Saudi Arabian coral reefs in the Red Sea, Living Ocean Foundation habitat mapping over the past four years, Living Oceans Foundation assessments of corals, fishes, and indicators of coral reef resilience, reports from PERSGA countries, impact of climate change on marine ecosystems, recent advances on coral reef ecology and examining potential management and conservation applications of the Living Oceans Foundation’s Red Sea research program.