RIYADH, 19 May 2006 — An onboard study of Red Sea and Farasan Islands flora launched by the US-based Khaled ibn Sultan Living Oceans Foundation earlier this week is progressing very well, the National Commission For Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) told Arab News yesterday.
The foundation, locally supported by the NCWCD, is carrying out the three-week marine research project in cooperation with the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, UK-based Sector Skills Council for the Environmental and Land-Based Sector, the Coastal Research Unit of the University of Cambridge, The Trident Trust, the National Reef Institute and the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.
NCWCD Secretary-General Dr. Abdul Aziz Abu Zinada said that the study represents the first in which the NCWCD has partnered with a US foundation to work in Saudi territory.
The team of scientist divers, led by Capt. Philip Renaud, executive director of the Washington-based foundation includes US, UK, Canadian, Austrian, French and Saudi scientists. They will map and survey the Farasan Islands Marine Protected Area, off Jizan, on the Kingdom’s southern Red Sea coast.
“The team is currently on board “Golden Shadow” to conduct coral reef research with state-of-the-art technology,” Renaud said, adding that the research would focus on threats to coral health such as global climate change, ecotourism, over-fishing, pollution and development.
Prince Khaled, the chairman of the foundation, met the study team over the weekend to get first hand information about the project, which ends on May 24.
Capt. Renaud explained that to date this is the most advanced coral reef environment research with the fastest turnaround and major international impact. “Our findings will guide future international policy on coral reef protection and Marine Protected Areas management.”
The Red Sea expedition will concentrate on coral reefs in and around the Farasan Islands Marine Protected Area off the southern coast of Saudi Arabia. The team will assess the impact of ecotourism — including souvenir collecting and booming diving resorts. The Red Sea hosts more than 3,000 divers and snorkellers a day during peak diving season.
The team will study pollution — particularly from oil spills and plastics associated with maritime transport, also from desalination plants, over-fishing — including commercial and artisanal fishing, which alter the local ecosystems. Climate Change — the result of excessive carbon emissions — leads to coral bleaching and possible coral death.
