Saudi Arabia is becoming a global leader in marine conservation

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Saudi Arabia is becoming a global leader in marine conservation

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The release on Netflix of the documentary “Horizon” showcasing the Kingdom’s wildlife is a landmark event in raising awareness about the country’s unique biodiversity.

While terrestrial wildlife has been the focus of conservation efforts in Saudi Arabia for decades, there has been less attention paid to marine wildlife. However, under Vision 2030, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rapidly becoming a global leader in marine conservation.

These efforts are now guided by the many discoveries made by the Red Sea Decade Expedition — a collaborative involving the National Center for Wildlife, King Abdulaziz University, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, NEOM, Red Sea Global and OceanX.

On Feb. 10 and 11, the NCW hosted the Red Sea Decade Expedition Symposium in Riyadh, marking a milestone in marine conservation. Led by the NCW, the Red Sea Decade Expedition surveyed Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea waters, from the shoreline to the greatest depths, and from south to north.

This was done with two research vessels, OceanXplorer and KAU’s Al-Azzizi, equipped with submersibles, deep-sea robots, a helicopter and advanced technologies and laboratories.

The Red Sea Decade Expedition used advanced DNA sequencing technologies to establish an end-to-end catalog of the Red Sea’s biodiversity, from bacteria to whales, to inform the Kingdom’s commitment to conserve 30 percent of the Red Sea.  

The expedition discovered many new species and even new families of corals and other marine species of interest never reported before.

It gathered the first images of living lantern fish, the most abundant fish on the planet, which, hidden in the depths of the ocean, had never been filmed alive before. It also retrieved the first footage of living specimens of delicate gelatinous animals that are extremely rare in the ocean.  

We are building a bright future for our natural heritage, which the Kingdom is committed to conserve for generations to come.

Carlos Duarte

We assessed the abundance of sea turtles, dolphins, whales and other marine wildlife of conservation interest, and discovered a range of amazing ecosystems, particularly the blue holes and sunken lagoons north of Jazan.

These remarkable ecosystems, not even known to local fishermen, who do not venture into these shallow reefs and deep holes, are major targets for conservation and ecotourism and are of global significance.

We unveiled how the efficient operation of the microbial food web in the Red Sea sustains one of the largest stocks of deep-water fish in the world, despite its low nutrient input.

Our teams assessed the levels of litter and plastic across the Red Sea, which identified shipping as a major source of the waste found on the seafloor, demonstrating the need for operators to improve their compliance with existing policies to avoid marine pollution.

Furthermore, we assessed coral health and identified the best-preserved coral reefs as well as those that should be the focus of restoration efforts, and identified the most important habitats for juvenile sea turtles and discovered for the first time that great whales reproduce in the Red Sea.

We also retrieved samples off the seafloor using technology deployed for the first time anywhere in the ocean.

This was unique because it used advanced chemical and DNA sequencing technologies to determine changes in the Red Sea and its biodiversity since 1800, thereby providing targets to regenerate wildlife to its former abundance.

I had the honor of serving as scientific coordinator for the expedition. Among the many discoveries we brought to land, I discovered the power of collaboration in expanding the horizon of our knowledge of the Red Sea, as well as the power of leadership, exerted by the CEO of the NWC, Dr. Mohammad Qurban, a renowned marine scientist, to forge such a collaborative environment.

Together, as brothers and sisters, we are building a bright future for our natural heritage, which the Kingdom is committed to conserve for generations to come.

• Carlos Duarte is a Ibn Sina distinguished professor of marine science at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Tarek Ahmed Juffali research chair in Red Sea ecology, and executive director of the Global Coral research and development accelerator platform. He has spent 40 years researching ocean ecosystems.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point of view

Celtic avoid fan ban for Bayern Champions League tie

Updated 10 sec ago
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Celtic avoid fan ban for Bayern Champions League tie

Celtic avoid fan ban for Bayern Champions League tie
Celtic had received a suspended one-match ban on selling tickets for traveling fans
“We are pleased that UEFA has considered our detailed submission,” Celtic said

GLASGOW: Celtic fans will be able to attend the second leg of their Champions League play-off round tie away to Bayern Munich after being handed a UEFA reprieve.
The Scottish champions feared supporters would be banned after a green smoke bomb was thrown onto the pitch from visiting fans during Celtic’s 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa last month.
Celtic had received a suspended one-match ban on selling tickets for traveling fans after a pyrotechnic display in their 7-1 Champions League thrashing by Borussia Dortmund in September.
However, they have escaped with a fine of 10,000 euros ($10,400, £8,340) for the lighting of fireworks and throwing of objects.
“As we had said previously, Celtic made every effort to ensure that our fans could attend this match, and we are pleased that UEFA has considered our detailed submission,” Celtic said in a statement.
“We can also confirm that the original suspended sentence remains in place, as a result of the previous use of pyrotechnics, most recently at the match against Borussia Dortmund, by a small minority of supporters.
“Again we must make it very clear that pyrotechnics have absolutely no place at our matches and should further incidents occur, then clearly, once again, there is an extremely high risk of our supporters not being permitted access to future matches.”

DR Congo conflict advances as UN warns of regional escalation

DR Congo conflict advances as UN warns of regional escalation
Updated 3 min 6 sec ago
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DR Congo conflict advances as UN warns of regional escalation

DR Congo conflict advances as UN warns of regional escalation
  • M23 and Rwandan troops seized the city of Goma last week and are now pushing into the neighboring South Kivu province
  • A Swiss NGO said three local staff were killed in the area this week

BUKAVU, DR Congo: The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group was threatening another key town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday as the United Nations warned that the risk of violence spreading regionally had “never been higher.”
M23 and Rwandan troops seized the city of Goma last week and are now pushing into the neighboring South Kivu province.
Thousands have died and huge numbers displaced as they have overtaken swathes of the mineral-rich region, routing DRC troops and their allies in the latest episode of decades-long turmoil in eastern DRC.
Congolese forces were bracing for an assault on the town of Kavumu, which hosts an airport critical to supplying its troops, according to security, humanitarian and local sources.
Kavumu is the last barrier before the South Kivu provincial capital Bukavu on the Rwandan border, where residents were also on edge.
“We see some people starting to flee,” resident Aganze Byamungu told AFP.
A local who spoke on condition of anonymity said shops were barricading their fronts and emptying storerooms for fear of looting, while schools and universities suspended classes.
“The border with Rwanda is open but almost impassable because of the number of people trying to cross. It’s total chaos,” they added.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi are due to attend a summit in Tanzania on Saturday as regional powers try to defuse the crisis.
The UN Human Rights Council met in Geneva on Friday to decide on investigating abuses committed in the conflict.
UN rights chief Volker Turk warned “the risk of violence escalating throughout the sub-region has never been higher.
“If nothing is done, the worst may be yet to come, for the people of the eastern DRC, but also beyond the country’s borders,” he added.
Turk said nearly 3,000 people had been confirmed killed and 2,880 injured since M23 entered Goma on January 26, and that final tolls would likely be much higher.
He also said his team is “currently verifying multiple allegations of rape, gang rape and sexual slavery.”
Also on Friday, a Swiss NGO said three local staff were killed in the area this week.
In Goma, where the M23 has already installed its own mayor and authorities, the group convened tens of thousands of people on Thursday for a public meeting of the River Congo Alliance, a political-military coalition that includes the M23.
The head of the alliance, Corneille Nangaa, told the crowd that the group wants to “liberate all of the Congo.”
Young people at the meeting in the city’s packed stadium chanted “Go to Kinshasa!,” the DRC’s capital on the other side of the vast country, which is roughly the size of Western Europe.
The DRC issued an international arrest warrant for Nangaa on Wednesday.
Since the M23 resurfaced in late 2021, the DRC army, which has a reputation for poor training and corruption, has been forced into multiple retreats.
The offensive has raised fears of regional war, given that several countries are engaged in supporting DRC militarily, including South Africa, Burundi and Malawi.
Previous peace talks hosted by Angola and Kenya have failed.
The latest peace summit in Tanzania brings together the eight-country East African Community and 16-member South African Development Community.
It was set to start with a ministerial meeting on Friday, before the arrival of Kagame, Tshisekedi and other regional leaders on Saturday.
A UN expert report said last year that Rwanda has “de facto” control over the M23, alongside some 4,000 of its own troops in the conflict zone.
The report also accused Kigali of profiting from smuggling minerals from the DRC — particularly coltan used in phones and laptops, as well as gold.
Rwanda denies direct involvement and accuses the DRC of sheltering the FDLR, an armed group created by ethnic Hutus who massacred Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.


Russia says it has taken control of city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine

Russia says it has taken control of city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine
Updated 15 min 35 sec ago
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Russia says it has taken control of city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine

Russia says it has taken control of city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine
  • Russia calls the city by its Soviet-era name of Dzerzhynsk

MOSCOW: Russian forces have taken control of the city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Friday.
Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report.
Russia calls the city by its Soviet-era name of Dzerzhynsk and says Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region is now part of Russia, an assertion which Kyiv rejects.


Trump condemned for ICC sanctions over Israel, US probes

Trump condemned for ICC sanctions over Israel, US probes
Updated 22 min 55 sec ago
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Trump condemned for ICC sanctions over Israel, US probes

Trump condemned for ICC sanctions over Israel, US probes
  • The sanctions could impact the court’s technical and IT operations, including evidence gathering
  • There are fears victims of alleged atrocities may hesitate to come forward

THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court slammed sanctions Friday slapped by US President Donald Trump over its probes targeting America and Israel and pledged to press on with its aim to fight for “justice and hope” around the world.
The United Nations and the European Union also urged Trump on Friday to reverse the decision ordering asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court’s investigations.
The sanctions could impact the court’s technical and IT operations, including evidence gathering. There are fears victims of alleged atrocities may hesitate to come forward.
Trump signed an executive order Thursday saying the court in The Hague had “abused its power” by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held talks with the US president on Tuesday.
The ICC said the move sought to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work.”
“The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” it said.
The United Nations said it deeply regretted Trump’s decision and urged him to reverse the move.
“The court should be fully able to undertake its independent work — where a state is unwilling or unable genuinely to carry out the investigation or prosecution,” UN human rights office OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told AFP in an email.
“The rule of law remains essential to our collective peace and security. Seeking accountability globally makes the world a safer place for everyone.”
Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council representing the EU’s 27 member states, wrote on X that the move “undermines the international criminal justice system.”
The European Commission separately expressed “regret,” stressing the ICC’s “key importance in upholding international criminal justice and the fight against impunity.”
The executive order risks “affecting ongoing investigations and proceedings, including as regards Ukraine, impacting years of efforts to ensure accountability around the world,” said a commission spokesman.
The names of the individuals affected by the sanctions were not immediately released, but previous US sanctions under Trump had targeted the court’s prosecutor.
Trump’s order said the tribunal had engaged in “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel,” referring to ICC probes into alleged war crimes by US service members in Afghanistan and Israeli troops in Gaza.
Israel’s foreign minister applauded Trump, calling the court’s actions against Israel illegitimate.
“I strongly commend @POTUS President Trump’s executive order imposing sanctions on the so-called ‘international criminal court’,” Gideon Saar wrote on X, adding that the ICC’s actions were “immoral and have no legal basis.”
Neither the United States nor Israel are members of the court.
Following a request by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, judges issued arrest warrants on November 21 for Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif — whom Israel says is dead.
The court said it had found “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore “criminal responsibility” for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare during the Gaza war, as well as the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.
Netanyahu has accused the court of anti-Semitism.
During his first term, Trump imposed financial sanctions and a visa ban on the ICC’s then prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, and other senior officials and staff in 2020.
His administration made the move after Gambian-born Bensouda launched an investigation into allegations of war crimes against US soldiers in Afghanistan.
While his order at the time did not name Israel, Trump administration officials said they were also angered by Bensouda’s opening of a probe into the situation in the Palestinian territories in 2019.
President Joe Biden lifted the sanctions soon after taking office in 2021.
Prosecutor Khan later effectively dropped the US from the Afghan investigation and focused on the Taliban instead.
Biden strongly condemned the “outrageous” warrant against Netanyahu in November.


‘World desires peace’: Pakistan’s AMAN-25 naval exercise kicks off in Karachi

‘World desires peace’: Pakistan’s AMAN-25 naval exercise kicks off in Karachi
Updated 26 min 21 sec ago
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‘World desires peace’: Pakistan’s AMAN-25 naval exercise kicks off in Karachi

‘World desires peace’: Pakistan’s AMAN-25 naval exercise kicks off in Karachi
  • Pakistan has conducted the exercise every two years since 2007 under the theme ‘Together for Peace’
  • The exercise has brought together participants from 60 countries, including officials of the Saudi Navy

KARACHI: Pakistan’s AMAN-25 multinational naval exercise kicked off on Friday with a flag-hoisting ceremony in Karachi, where the Pakistan Navy’s fleet commander lauded the participation of 60 nations as a testament to the world community’s desire for peace.
The Pakistan Navy has conducted the AMAN maritime exercise every two years since 2007 under the theme “Together For Peace,” involving ships, aircraft and special operations forces.
This year’s special feature is the inaugural AMAN Dialogue, themed “Secure Seas, Prosperous Future,” with a focus on security challenges in the Indian Ocean. These include strategic competition, piracy, narco-trafficking, non-state actors, resource exploitation, climate change, emerging technologies such as AI and unmanned systems, the blue economy and the need for global collaboration to ensure stability and prosperity.
“Today, we stand at a record, which is 60 countries participating in the exercise,” Rear Admiral Abdul Munib told Arab News after the inauguration. “That itself speaks to how the world community actually wants to get together for peace.”

Commander of Pakistan Fleet Rear Admiral Abdul Munib, along with naval commanding officers of participating countries, cut a cake during the opening ceremony of Pakistan Navy’s 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25, under the slogan “Together for Peace,” in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (REUTERS)

He added that since 2007, when the multinational exercise was launched for the first time, strategic leadership was not involved in AMAN, a gap that led Pakistan’s naval chief to propose the idea of a dialogue.
“This was his vision whereby he perceived the idea of the AMAN Dialogue, whereby we invited like-minded nations, and you would see that many countries are being represented by their heads of navies, coast guards, and defense services,” he added.

Naval commanding officers of participating countries salute as Pakistan Navy’s servicemen hoist the national flags during the opening ceremony of Pakistan Navy’s 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25, under the slogan “Together for Peace,” in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (REUTERS)

Earlier, he told a ceremony attended by naval officials from other countries that the dialogue aimed to promote a shared understanding of maritime security challenges and their linkage with the blue economy.
In a video message released by the Pakistan Navy, a Saudi official said that the Royal Saudi Navy was proud to participate in the exercises.
“The Royal Saudi Navy is proud to participate, reflecting our commitment to maritime security,” said Brig. (Staff) Bander Hamad S. Al-Hokubani, the Saudi military attaché in Islamabad. “We look forward to achieving its goals and strengthening ties with all participants.”

Pakistan Navy servicemen guard the area during the opening ceremony of Pakistan Navy’s 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25 under the slogan “Together for Peace,” in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (REUTERS)

The Saudi official added that the exercise was a key multinational effort to enhance maritime cooperation and address shared challenges.
According to the Pakistan Navy, the exercise will be conducted in two phases: a harbor phase from Feb. 7-9 and a sea phase, running from Feb. 10-11, which will include search-and-rescue operations, live weapon firings and an international fleet review.

Pakistani navy patrol during a flag hoisting ceremony of multinational naval exercise AMAN-25 in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (AFP)

Main activities during the exercise will include a maritime counterterrorism demonstration by the Special Service Group (SSG) and Pak Marines, tabletop discussions on professional topics, and ship visits.
“An International Fleet Review is scheduled for February 11, 2025, alongside sea exercises to address collaborative security threats, with special operations forces, explosive ordnance disposal teams and marine units participating in developing tactics, techniques and procedures for multinational responses to asymmetric threats,” the Pakistan Navy’s press statement added.