Amman, Sept. 29 (Petra) – A regional workshop on assessing the state of coastal wetlands in the Arabian Peninsula opened in Amman on Monday, organized by BirdLife International–Middle East in partnership with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), with participation from representatives of GCC states, Yemen, Iraq, Jordan and specialized international and regional environmental organizations.

Minister of Environment Ayman Suleiman, who patronized the opening, said coastal wetlands represent a natural wealth and a cornerstone for biodiversity and climate change resilience. He described them as a natural defense line against coastal erosion and storms, in addition to their role in water purification, carbon storage and supporting fisheries that provide livelihoods for thousands of people.

Suleiman reaffirmed Jordan’s commitment to its international obligations under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on Migratory Species, and the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement, stressing that protecting ecosystems is a collective responsibility requiring urgent regional and international coordination to halt degradation and restore affected areas.

BirdLife Middle East Regional Director Ibrahim Khader said the initiative represents a unified regional response to a shared environmental challenge, noting that integrated coastal zone management is essential to balancing economic and social development with environmental priorities while ensuring local communities are engaged in shaping sustainable solutions.

RSCN Director-General Fadi Nasser said the workshop provides a strategic opportunity to exchange expertise and draft a joint regional action plan that considers the circumstances of each country while supporting the sustainability of these unique ecosystems. He underlined the society’s commitment to boosting regional and international cooperation in the field.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) West Asia Regional Director Hani Al-Shaer said wetlands, particularly coastal ones, rank among the world’s most productive and important ecosystems, providing critical habitats for birds and fish, storing blue carbon and contributing to disaster risk reduction, with an estimated annual economic and social value of more than $47.4 trillion.

Al-Shaer said holding this workshop is a pivotal step toward strengthening scientific understanding of the condition of wetlands in the Arabian Peninsula and developing effective regional coordination mechanisms for their protection.

Coastal wetlands in the peninsula cover vast areas across Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq. They include mudflats, mangroves, seagrass beds, salt marshes, deltaic wetlands, river estuaries and coral reefs.

These ecosystems support more than 300 migratory bird species along global flyways but are under rapid decline due to unregulated urban expansion, industrial pollution and climate change impacts such as sea level rise and rising temperatures. In some sites, waterbird populations have dropped by more than 80 percent.

The two-day workshop, concluding Tuesday, is part of a BirdLife International regional strategy aimed at conducting a comprehensive assessment of coastal wetlands, documenting their biodiversity and monitoring key threats in preparation for protection and restoration plans targeting the most vulnerable areas.

//Petra// AF