Doha: Qatar is sharing 48% of the total population of coral reefs in the Arabian Gulf region, said an official.
“Qatar is considered as one of the richest GCC countries in coral reefs, with about 48% of the total population in the Arabian Gulf region," said Dr. Ibrahim Abdul Latif Al Maslamani, Assistant Undersecretary for Protection and Natural Reserves Affairs at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
He said that eastern and northern coasts of the country also witness high density of coral reefs. Al Maslamani was speaking in a workshop organised by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and ExxonMobil Research-Qatar for partners involved in coral reef restoration.
The inaugural session of the workshop was attended by Minister of Environment and Climate Change H E Sheikh Dr. Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani, ExxonMobil’s vice president and ventures manager Jagir Baxi and a number of senior officials from both sides.
Al Maslamani Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, has attached utmost importance to programmes that support the preservation of biodiversity, the most important of which are marine projects such as the coral reef conservation project, within which this workshop is being held today.
Jagir Baxi said that the coral reef restoration ecosystem plays an active role in preserving the biodiversity of the marine environment.
“We are pleased to be able to bring together an elite group of scientists, researchers and practitioners to provide their best expertise and review strategies for moving these efforts forward, so that we can help reduce the risks to the priceless coral reefs and support their continuation into the future,” said Baxi.
He said that ExxonMobil is proud of its active participation in the restoration of environments and the preservation of biodiversity to support the efforts of Qatar.
The workshop will highlight the importance of coral reefs, as they are the oldest ecosystems on earth, and one of the most important marine habitats in the Gulf region and the most productive and tender, as their presence is very vital because they provide shelter and sanctuary for more than a quarter of known marine species, and coral reefs also contribute to developing tourism.