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Environment
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Tasks for coastal resources assessments and oil spill sensitivity mapping in the Arab States of the Gulf |
7. Next steps
Before UNESCO proceeds further with support and cooperation, it may be appropriate to have another round of more detailed consultations in each GCC country. This might require a minimum of 2-3 days per country to accurately assess the current state of data and resources. It is recommended that any further meetings involve the spill response lead-agency, in order to confirm the preliminary findings of this report.
First and foremost we thank The National Commissions for Education, Science, and Culture of the Kingdom of Bahrain, The State of Kuwait, The Sultanate of Oman, The State of Qatar, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, to select the topics of sub-regional activities on GCC level. Their moral and technical support and their interest in science-based environmental management were essential to initiate this activity, and their professional organization of the meetings is well appreciated.
Furthermore, our thanks are due to the coastal zone management expert Dr. Andrew Price, for visiting Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE, and for his professional and timely completion of this document. We thank the marine research and fisheries expert Dr. Thabit Zahran Al Abdessalaam, and the GIS & environmental database specialist Mr. Derek Gliddon to assist this difficult task, and for their visits to Doha, Manama, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Riyadh, and Jeddah. The cooperation of the University of Warwick and the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency allowed for the experts availability.
We thank all the numerous participants and organisers of the meetings in Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, for their attendance, for providing important information, and for their constructive discussions, and comments. The Commission of Environmental Research, Emirates Heritage Club invited a proposal from UNESCO for the Northern Emirates, and organised and hosted the Abu Dhabi meeting. The Supreme Council for the Environment and Natural Reserves invited a proposal for Qatar. The United Nations Development Program Office invited proposals and hosted the meeting in Bahrain, and the King Abdulaziz University hosted the meeting in Jeddah. It is also appreciated that representatives of the Regional Organisation for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME) participated in the Kuwait meeting.
This document and the fact-finding mission received generous financial support from UNESCO's Division of Ecological Sciences and UNESCO's Coastal Zone and Small Islands Platform.
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