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STRENGTHENING OCEANOGRAPHY | 77

VISION INTO ACTION RIPARIAN COUNTRIES,
FUTURE STAKEHOLDERS
As part of the 2022-2025 expedition to establish the IN CONSERVATIONN
first-ever inventory of the ecosystem and biodiversity
of the coral reefs of the Red Sea, the Swiss research That's why the missions have included an aware-
centre has carried out four initial coral reef inventory ness-raising dimension, welcoming some of the re-
missions in the northern Gulf of Aqaba (Israel and Jor- gion's key stakeholders on board. At the same time,
dan), the Gulf of Tadjoura (Djibouti) and Sudan. "The the first reef monitoring equipment has been deployed
aim was to make a detailed inventory of the coral co- thanks to the partners of the Transnational Red Sea
ver and extract DNA from different species of coral in Center. Two coral health monitoring stations have
order to assess the way in which the environment im- been installed in the Gulf of Aqaba, forming part of a
pacts the genetics of populations", explains scientific network that the centre hopes to extend. Ultimately,
coordinator Guilhem Banc-Prandi, before presenting coastal countries could use this data to decide on
the latest results obtained using the innovative 3D the best measures to take to protect their reefs from
mapping tool developed by EPFL. the threats of pollution, intensive fishing, and mass
tourism. It remains to be seen what strategies these
Lightweight on-board data acquisition system: a di- corals develop to survive the stress of rising tempe-
ver holding a system of poles, to which GoPro-type ratures. The Transnational Red Sea Centre is doing
cameras are attached, films long segments of coral all it can to understand this astonishing adaptation.
reef. Using artificial intelligence, the software reco- Diplomacy is at the heart of the scientific process, as
gnises the types of soil and coral encountered and demonstrated by Ambassador Alexandre Fasel, the
instantly maps the reef in 3D, providing an incompa- Swiss Confederation's Special Representative for
rable reference base for monitoring its evolution over Science Diplomacy.
time. A revolution in the way these ecosystems are
mapped. "It's a low-cost method with sufficient re-
solution that we're developing with the countries in
the region. We plan to open a workshop in Djibouti," IN
continues the diver and scientist. "The health of coral FIGURES
reefs is a very important issue for local communities
in the Red Sea basin, which is why it is so important ■ 1065 coral samples taken as part
to raise their awareness and involve that community of 4 scientific programmes,
in their protection." ■ 15 000 m of reefs mapped,
2
■ 2 coral health monitoring stations
deployed.
IN
SIGHT

“The aim is to establish the first-ever Red Sea-wide inventory of the coral
ecosystem and its biodiversity on the basis of standardised scientific programmes,
enabling the regional stakeholders concerned to strengthen their environmental
and conservation policies for corals, which have demonstrated their exceptional
resilience to climate change”.
Anders Meibom, Director of the Transnational Red Sea Centre at l’EPFL