jordan pulse -
RH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Science and Technology, stressed the need for regional and international cooperation to preserve the Red Sea environment in all aspects, exchange information and work on developing scientific research methods and exchanging expertise and experiences.
This came during Prince Hassan's patronage and participation in the first international conference "The Environmental Space of the Red Sea: Aspects of Conservation and Marine Environmental Management of the Red Sea", which was held in Aqaba on Friday and will last for three days.
Prince El Hassan stressed the importance of scientific and collective work in order to promote creative partnerships to achieve the common good.
Prince Hassan considered the Red Sea an important source of natural resources and social and population stability.
He pointed to the importance of preparing in advance to adapt in a scientific and sound manner to climate change, and to work to mitigate its phenomena and its consequences through the sharing of knowledge and experiences, proper planning and activating the role of reliable information and its exchange within a studied scientific framework.
He pointed out that stability at all levels, including environmental stability, comes after a real, scientific and effective development based on common interests.
The prince pointed to the importance of developing the Great Rift Valley and addressing differences to empower and activate its residents. Scientists from countries that have beaches on the Red Sea will participate in the conference, in addition to specialized scientists from America, Cyprus, France, China and Thailand.
The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Science and Technology Abdullah Al-Mousa pointed out the importance of the Red Sea for coastal countries and their economies and the economies of the world as a whole, as it is considered a strategic sea corridor, hence the global interest in the marine environment of the Red Sea and its preservation and the environment of the coastal cities located on its shores.
He indicated that the conference is considered the first in the world.
The Chairman of the Council of Commissioners of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, Nayef Al-Bakhit, said that the conference includes the best international experts in the field of environmental space, stressing that the outcomes of this conference will benefit the marine environment of the city of Aqaba, especially after the announcement of the Aqaba Marine Reserve and its nomination to UNESCO and the importance of establishing the Marine Research Center in Aqaba.
Head of the Fellowship Advisory Team of the Supreme Council for Science and Technology, Dr. Khaled Toukan, said that the Red Sea is an essential artery in the region, and hundreds of ships cross it on their way to international trade, which affects the Red Sea environment, pointing out that the aim of the conference is to present ideas and scientific foundations based on real data related to sea level. Its temperature, waste, marine life and coral reef preservation.
He pointed out the importance of this conference for the city of Aqaba, as it is not only a tourist and commercial facility, but any environmental risks threatening the Red Sea will be reflected in the tourism and commercial activity in the city.
Professor Costas Papanikolas, Adviser to the President of Cyprus on Climate Change and President of the Cyprus Institute, pointed to the need to develop an action plan to meet the challenges specific to the region, noting the decline in international and regional funding for climate change research, in addition to the insufficient scientific information and optimal use of technology.
The scientist and researcher in the field of geology and geophysics, Naguib Rasoul, spoke about the importance of focusing on implementation mechanisms and finding solutions based on scientific foundations to address the challenges facing humanity and environmental dangers in the Red Sea region.
The conference will address specialized scientific lectures on the environment of the Red Sea distributed over six main themes, namely: the state of the coastal and marine environment, climate change and its impact on the environment, biology of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, studies in coral reefs, integrated coastal management, remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems, physical studies and chemical pollution.
Almamlka