The National Center for Wildlife, with the participation of the global research vessel "OceanExplorer" and the national research vessel "Al-Azizi" of King Abdulaziz University and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), launched today from Jeddah Islamic Port a trip to explore the Red Sea. The trip, in which 126 researchers are taking part, includes scientific research activities to study marine life in the Red Sea. It will also conduct the first comprehensive survey of previously unstudied areas starting from the Afifi area in the southern Red Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba in the north in addition to producing documentary and informational materials on these areas. The CEO of the National Center for Wildlife, Dr. Mohammed Ali Qurban, said the trip aims to provide a clear vision of the Red Sea environments and study mammal species, biodiversity, and physical and chemical environmental characteristics, as well as biomaps of coral reefs, seagrass, sea turtles and other creatures that abound in the Red Sea. Qurban added that the center has put forth a scientific and technical plan to conduct surveys to discover the Red Sea environment along the coasts of the Kingdom over 19 weeks, noting that the project is being carried out in cooperation with NEOM, Amaala Project, the Red Sea Project, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, King Abdulaziz University, and King Abdullah for Science and Technology University. He underlined that the center was keen to involve its newly graduated researchers in marine sciences to train them on the best scientific practices, as coordination will also be made with educational authorities to organize a live broadcast of the trip and conduct direct dialogues with specialized scientists. He concluded that the center aims to preserve and publish the data that will be obtained through this trip to be shared with the relevant authorities to benefit from its outcomes in the field of research and business development, in addition to producing documentaries about the Red Sea.
