المملكة: International Mangrove Day…a global celebration and Saudi efforts to protect the ecosystem

Coinciding with International Mangrove Day, Saudi and international efforts are joining forces to protect the coastal ecosystem from human and environmental threats, through joint programs that ensure the sustainability of this natural wealth, enhance biodiversity, and support honey production in the Kingdom.
The mangrove forests extending along the coasts of the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf are one of the exceptional environmental treasures and unique natural resources of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These vital systems face multiple human and environmental challenges that directly threaten their sustainability and quality, despite the enormous environmental and economic value they provide to the marine environment.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned of human and environmental threats facing the mangrove forests on the coast of the Kingdom, stressing the importance of concerted efforts with the Ministry of Environment to enhance their protection and develop the honey production sector extracted from them.

Governmental and international efforts are continuously coming together to rehabilitate these vital beaches and increase community awareness of their extreme importance to wildlife.
These systematic movements and joint efforts come within the framework of the Kingdom’s ambitious vision to protect the environment in preparation for a greener and more sustainable future for future generations.
Coinciding with the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, Dr. Ramzi, a beekeeping expert at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the Kingdom, explained:

The international expert in beekeeping at the FAO in the Kingdom, Dr. Ramzi Muhammad Al-Sarhan

Al-Sarhan explains the nature of these complex challenges. Pointing out that mangrove forests are affected by several overlapping factors that sometimes lead to a decline in their environmental quality or cause the loss of vast areas of them.

Environmentally harmful factors

The international expert identified the most prominent of these factors, warning of the consequences of urban expansion represented by the increasing population encroachment on areas near the coasts. Adding that burial and dredging operations constitute a serious additional danger through activities that affect the beaches and change their sensitive environmental nature and natural components.

Al-Sarhan pointed to the devastating effects of plastic pollution represented by the spread of waste and plastic residues significantly on the coasts of the Eastern Region and other coastal areas. He also pointed out the danger of unjust behaviors such as overgrazing and logging, as practices that cause significant losses to trees and weaken their sustainability and ability to survive and grow.
Al-Sarhan stressed the importance of these forests as one of the most prominent coastal ecosystems ever. This is explained by the great importance of the pivotal and essential role that these trees play in protecting the coasts and enhancing biodiversity along the Saudi shores.
The international expert stated that these trees have an exceptional and effective ability to absorb carbon emissions and reduce the negative effects of the ongoing climate change phenomenon. Pointing out that these multiple vital functions, in their entirety, support the sustainability of natural resources and improve the overall quality of life for communities.

Awareness raising campaigns

Dr. Al-Sarhan stressed the need to intensify campaigns to spread community awareness to reduce the phenomenon of throwing waste in sensitive coastal environments. In the same context, he called for the importance of relying on biodegradable plastic materials as a natural and safe alternative that does not constitute permanent and destructive pollution of the marine environment.
In the face of these environmental challenges, the FAO expert appreciated the strategic direction and major initiatives of the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to protect coastal environments. Praising the efforts being implemented with high efficiency through the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture system to confront these threats and restore the environmental balance of the Kingdom’s coasts.
He stressed that these qualitative government initiatives have become a milestone in the fields of agricultural and environmental work alike. Explaining that its positive and sustainable impact is particularly evident in the coastal areas that embrace these rare natural and plant resources.
Al-Sarhan revealed the integration of these pioneering national efforts with a package of joint programs between the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Noting that this strategic partnership is translated into practice through organizing and activating specialized training programs directed to relevant local and community cadres.
He stated that these training programs aim primarily to spread community and professional awareness about the extreme environmental importance of mangrove forests. Emphasizing the joint efforts of the organization and the ministry to support and develop the distinguished honey production sector extracted from these unique coastal forests to maximize their economic returns.