Efforts to list Aqaba Marine Reserve as UNESCO World Heritage site

The government is striving to list the Aqaba Marine Reserve, home to unique biodiversity and 300 types of coral reefs, as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tourism Minister Makram Qaisi and ASEZA Chief Commissioner Nayef Al-Fayez held a meeting with various officials and experts, including the General Antiquities Department Director Dr. Fadi Balawi, ASEZA’s Environment Commissioner Dr. Ayman Suleiman, UNDP representative Nidal Al-Awaran, and British expert Jonathan McCue. The meeting aimed to address UNESCO’s feedback on the submission for the Aqaba Marine Reserve.

The government meeting followed royal directives and continued the efforts by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and ASEZA to include the Aqaba Marine Reserve on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. The discussion focused on recent comments from UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Authorities seek to collaborate with relevant entities and international experts to refine the submission according to set timelines. They aim to create detailed plans for each phase of the final submission to UNESCO.

Minister Qaisi, accompanied by Secretary-General Dr. Imad Hijazin, General Director of Antiquities Dr. Fadi Balawi, and technical teams from the ministry and ASEZA, conducted a field visit to the reserve. They reviewed plans to improve tourism services, preserve the marine environment, and educate visitors on the importance of environmental conservation and the significance of listing the reserve as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Aqaba Marine Reserve features unique biodiversity, including 300 species of hard and soft coral reefs, 512 types of fish, three types of marine grass communities, and two main types of shallow seagrass communities found at depths from half a meter to 40 meters. Additionally, the reserve’s coral reefs are known to be resilient to the effects of climate change, according to published studies.