RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife has signed a pact with the UK’s National Oceanography Center to collaborate on marine biodiversity projects, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

Signed in Riyadh, the collaboration between the NCW and NOC includes monitoring the health of sharks, whales, dolphins, turtles, dugongs, mangroves, seagrass, and other species.

Studies will be undertaken to determine the effects of human activities on marine ecosystems, and the use of advanced technologies to track these activities and mitigate their potential harm.

 

The NCW’s CEO Mohammed Qurban said the agreement would help protect wildlife, conserve ecosystems, and restore ecological balance.

The NOC’s Deputy Director Alex Rogers welcomed the partnership. “Global collaboration is essential to achieve NOC’s vision of gaining a deeper knowledge of the ocean to help every living thing on our planet flourish.”

“The seas around Saudi Arabia host a wealth of biodiversity, from rich tropical coral reefs and seagrass beds to deep-sea ecosystems that have barely been explored.

“The collaboration between NCW and NOC will generate critical data on the distribution of species and their ecosystem functioning,” Rogers told Oceanographic magazine.

Britain’s NOC is a research and technology institution specializing in marine science, with facilities in Southampton and Liverpool. It is the UK’s largest organization dedicated to sea-level science and the research and development of coastal and deep-sea technologies.

Saudi Arabia’s NCW, established in 2019 in place of the National Wildlife Authority, is tasked with “preserving wildlife and biodiversity and protecting ecosystems.”

The NWC also “prioritizes research and innovation in wildlife conservation, drawing on national and international expertise.”