Environmentalism Slowly Comes to Saudi Arabia

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 RIYADH 002563

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

Interior for International/Senhadji
EPA for International/Medearis, Buckley

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV KFLU SA
SUBJECT: Environmentalism Slowly Comes to Saudi Arabia


1. Summary: Saudi environmental and natural resource
institutions were late in getting established and
remain small in size and influence. Meetings with the
Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) and the
National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and
Development highlighted that public environmental
awareness is gradually developing, however, in part as
negative environmental impacts to health and
biodiversity become more apparent to the Saudi public.
Emerging areas of environmental concern include habitat
and coastal zone conservation (especially along the Red
Sea),reintroduction of captively breed indigenous
endangered species, and improvement of the Saudi
public's awareness of environmental problems. In an
effort to combat these problems, the PME specifically
requested opportunities to participate in EPA
internships that would broaden the PME's ability to
conduct environmental assessments. Saudi Arabia also
intends to join the Convention on Biological Diversity.
End summary.


2. Amman-based Regional Environment, Science,
Technology and Health Officer, joined by Riyadh
Econoffs, met Dr. Ali Althowaini, Assistant Deputy for
Meteorology and Environmental Affairs at the Riyadh
Regional Center of the Presidency of Meteorology and
Environment (PME),on March 21 for an overview of
environmental issues in Saudi Arabia. ESTH Officer and
Econoff also met Dr. Hany Tutwani, International
Relations Advisor for the National Commission for
Wildlife Conservation and Development, on March 22 for
a conversation focusing on natural resources and
conservation.

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Resource Conservation Started With Captive Breeding
Program
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3. Dr. Tutwani said that the National Commission for
Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) was
established by the Saudi Government twenty years
earlier, with a goal of reestablishing fauna. The
NCWCD's mission eventually also evolved into
conservation of habitat and fauna in the Kingdom.
According to Dr. Tutwani, NCWCD is a lean organization
with only 80 staff, not including the roughly 200
employees that operate the officially designated
protected conservation areas managed by the NCWCD.


4. Currently, NCWCD's mission has four components:
habitat conservation, captive breeding, awareness, and
legislation. Among other legal obligations, NCWCD is
the Saudi Government's representative to the Committee
on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Tutwani noted the bulk of CITES work in Saudi Arabia
centered on a fragrant wood, "agar"; hunting birds such
as falcons and peregrines; caviar (from the endangered
sturgeon); pet birds; and ornamental fish.


5. The NCWCD has captive breeding programs for
ungulates, including oryx, ibex, and gazelles, and a
bird called the Hubara bustard. Scientific research is
undertaken as part of these programs, such as DNA
fingerprinting, but the main purpose of the captive
breeding programs is to reintroduce the animals into
the wild, Tutwani said. He noted the presence in Saudi
Arabia of several rare species such as dugongs (in both
the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea),leopards and
caracal.

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Hunting Popular But Banned Because of Avian Influenza
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6. NCWCD also administers hunting permits. Hunting
remains quite popular, according to Tutwani, throughout
the Kingdom. Hunting with nets and firearms was banned
years ago, he said. Saudis normally hunt with falcons
and a breed of dog called salukis, but all hunting was
banned this year as a protective measure against avian
influenza. The popularity of hunting has "considerably
reduced" the number of prey animals, he said, leading
to support for the captive breeding programs. Tutwani

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noted that the NCWCD plays a role in avian influenza
prevention by monitoring the location of bird flocks,
and notifying the Ministry of Agriculture as to the
best sites for test sampling of migratory birds. The
Ministry of Agriculture then performs the sampling and
testing of those birds. Saudi Arabia participates in
the Asia-Pacific Working Group on Avian Influenza,
organized under the Bonn Convention on Migratory
Species.

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Protected Area Network Gradually Taking Shape
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7. An ambitious plan to establish 153 officially
protected areas in the Kingdom is slowly being
implemented, Tutwani said. Saudi Arabia currently has
16 protected areas, which represent around 4% of total
land area. This year, the NCWCD will create protected
areas in the northern Red Sea and in the Arabian Gulf.
Tutwani commented that some areas were "beyond
recovery," and that the NCWCD focuses on flagship areas
and regions that can still benefit from conservation
protection.


8. The NCWCD operates the 16 designated protected
areas, which are distinct from the National Parks
operated by the Ministry of Agriculture and are open to
public visits and camping. The NCWCD-administered
protected areas are not open to regular public use,
Tutwani said, although limited public access can be
arranged.

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Disappointed with Results on Environmental Awareness
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9. Regarding development of public environmental
awareness, Tutwani said that the results were "not what
we wished for." The purpose of creating public
awareness is to build support for the NCWCD's work, and
make the public understand the benefits of conservation
and environmental protection. He noted there has been
some change in the Saudi public's viewpoint towards
conservation, but commented that the "consumptive
lifestyle" is "not always to the benefit of natural
resources." During the meeting with emboffs, Tutwani
provided a tour of the small visitor's center at NCWCD
headquarters, which a visiting group of raucous Saudi
school students was also in the process of touring.
The NCWCD established the Saudi Wildlife Fund in 1998
to elicit private financial and moral support for the
NCWCD. Tutwani said the Wildlife Fund is "quite
active." There are also government-sponsored NGOs,
such as the Saudi Environmental Society and the Saudi
Biological Society, that work to increase public
awareness of environmental issues.


10. An impetus for moving Saudi Arabia's conservatively
religious public to a higher level of environmental
awareness might be found in Islam precepts. When asked
about the relationship of Islam to natural resource
protection, Dr. Tutwani, said that the Quran says that
natural resources should be protected since they are
part of God's creation.

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Planning to Join Convention on Biological Diversity
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11. Regarding the NCWCD's work in monitoring and
developing legislation and treaties, Tutwani said that
the main Saudi environmental laws on conservation
include the protected area law; a wildlife trading act,
which he claimed is stricter than CITES; and laws
regulating hunting in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia aims
to join the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),
and is a current member of CITES, the Bonn Convention
on Migratory Species and various regional bio-diversity
agreements. The Gulf Cooperation Council also has a
biodiversity committee for which Saudi Arabia serves as
Secretariat. He noted that the NCWCD filled a gap and

SIPDIS
provided a model for other GCC countries because the
NCWCD was the first wildlife authority in the region.

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Role of the PME Regional Office
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12. ESTH regional officer visited the Presidency of
Meteorology and Environment's (PME) headquarters in
Jeddah, as well as PME's regional office in Riyadh, for
discussions on PME's role in environmental protection
and its current areas of focus. (Embassy note. The
presence of PME's headquarters in Jeddah, rather than
the capital, stems from the fact that Saudi Arabia's
civil aviation ministry, which had been PME's original
bureaucratic home as a meteorogicial agency, is
headquartered in Jeddah. PME was spun off as a
separate agency from the aviation ministry in 1970.
The Riyadh Center is one of PME's five regional offices
in the Kingdom. End note.)


13. Dr. Ali Althowaini, the Assistant Deputy for
Meteorology and Environmental Affairs at the Riyadh
Regional Center of the PME described PME's role in
environmental protection. Every new development
project in Saudi Arabia needs an Environmental Impact
Assessment, which is reviewed by the PME. If the
project will affect wildlife or has other unusual
features, a committee with relevant expertise is
assembled to review the pertinent aspects. The PME is
also responsible for coastal zone management (CZM),and
has a draft law on coastal zone management pending by
the Council of Ministers.

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PME Request for Bilateral Cooperation with the EPA
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14. Dr. Ali Althowaini launched the discussion with a
request to send PME professionals to work alongside EPA
specialists on two or three month internships in the
US. He emphasized that he wants the experience to be
practical, hands-on and field-related, not a classroom
effort. He said the areas he would like to focus on
for these internships are air pollution, hazardous
waste and sewage treatment. ESTH Officer replied that
he would take up the suggestion with EPA and report
back on EPA's initial views through Embassy Riyadh.

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Interest in Environment Management, Enforcement in US
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15. Dr. Althowaini was interested in two environmental
issues in the US: the environmental impacts from
hurricane Katrina and acid rain. ESTH Officer,
emphasizing the scale of Katrina, said that the impacts
of hurricane Katrina would undoubtedly be severe,
especially because of the petrochemical industry in the
area, and that assessments and remediation efforts were
underway. On acid rain, ESTH Officer emphasized good
results from desulphurization programs and
transboundary agreements between the US and Canada.


16. Dr. Althowaini also asked about enforcement of
environmental laws in the U.S., noting that a lengthy
inter-agency coordination effort was required in order
to prosecute environmental crimes in Saudi Arabia.
ESTH Officer noted EPA's strong preference for
pollution prevention versus post-facto cleanup and
prosecution. ESTH Officer also noted that EPA consults
carefully with industry when developing new regulations
and standards to make sure those regulations are
practical and as efficient as possible.


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Saudis Come "A Long Way" on Environmental Thinking
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17. On environmental thinking in Saudi Arabia, Dr.
Althowaini echoed his NCWD colleague, saying that
Saudis have "come a long way" in recognizing the
importance of the environment, in part because of
linkages between health and environment such as
allergies and asthma. But, this shift is "not enough,"

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he continued. He went on to say that part of the
greater interest in weather and environment comes from
the increasing amount of travel and general integration
with global society by Saudis.