The Global Reef Expedition will start on Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday. The goal of the latest expedition is to conduct coral reef surveys in the Bahamas and other Caribbean Basin countries.
“The ambitious coral expedition will take several years to complete. Its success requires the cooperation of all concerned with the protection of undersea ecosystems,” Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Military Affairs Prince Khaled bin Sultan, founder and chairman of the board of directors of the foundation, said in a speech on the occasion.
Prince Khaled highlighted the role of the foundation and the significance of the expedition.
The prince stressed the need for immediate steps to protect the undersea environment. Over the past five decades 20 percent of the coral reefs have been destroyed the world over. One of the primary causes of reef destruction can be seen near Jeddah where raw sewage is dumped directly in the Red Sea. Sewage is high in nitrates that feed algae blooms that suffocate reef systems.
“Our younger generation should have a better understanding of the oceanic science along with other sciences so that they can successfully deter disasters owing to the destruction of the oceanic environment,” the prince said.
In 2012, the team will conduct research on the coral reefs of French Polynesia, Australia and other Pacific coral reef regions. The expedition team also will conduct education programs in all of the participating countries and regions, which will include the involvement of local educators and students on board the ship.
Additionally, multimedia technologies will be used to bring the ongoing research into students' classrooms, and coral conservation curricula will be developed for use in schools worldwide during the expedition.
The Living Oceans Foundation embarked upon a series of expeditions to the Red Sea beginning with the Farasan Islands in the south-central Red Sea in 2006. It included a comprehensive ecological survey of the Farasan Islands Marine Protected Area.
In 2007, another expedition was undertaken to map and characterize coral reefs east of Ras Qisbah, focusing on marine habitats around the islands of Al-Farshah, Umm Qusur and Burqan. Then in the North Red Sea in 2008, the foundation focused on Yanbu Barrier Reef and Al-Wajh Bank area.
