AMMAN, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Interview: Guarding the brilliant life in the ocean - Visiting Jordanian coral research expert Fouad Al-Khurani
Xinhua News Agency reporter Ji Ze
Jordanian coral research expert Fouad Al-Khurani is interviewed by reporters at a laboratory located at the Aqaba Marine Science Station in Jordan on May 20. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ji Ze
"If all the world's coral reefs were destroyed, about a quarter of the world's marine species would also go extinct." In an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency on the eve of World Oceans Day on June 8, Jordanian coral research expert Fouad Al-Hurani said that it is urgent to save corals and protect marine biodiversity.
Hurani has been working for coral conservation at the Marine Science Station in Aqaba, a small coastal town on the southern coast of Jordan, for nearly 25 years.
"When I dive underwater and see the colorful corals, I feel that they are working tirelessly to survive like humans." Hurani told reporters.
Corals are a group of organisms that grow in aggregate from many polyps. Among them, hard corals secrete limestone to form bones during growth, and corals continue to grow and develop on this bone. Coral reefs are reefs where the calcareous remains of corals and other organisms are constantly piled up and petrified, and are also important habitats for marine life, known as the "tropical rainforest" under the seabed.
Coral larvae are observed in a laboratory inside the Aqaba Marine Science Station in Jordan on May 20. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ji Ze
Hulani said that coral reefs provide important living space for a large number of marine life, and gorgeous submarine corals have become the signature of some coastal cities to develop tourism. Coral fossils also help researchers study the evolutionary history of the oceans and planet. However, in recent years, with the intensification of human activities, the increase in greenhouse gases, marine pollutant emissions, and the rise in ocean temperatures, the global coral reefs are facing a serious crisis. According to the State of the World's Coral Reef Report, released in recent years, two-thirds of the world's coral reefs have been severely damaged.
"However, due to the unique natural conditions, corals in the Red Sea Aqaba Bay are still growing healthily, with more than 150 species, which can be regarded as the 'World Bank' of corals." Based on this, Hulani said, their research work includes the creation of coral reservoirs for the preservation of existing species, coral conservation and growth monitoring, and the cultivation of artificial coral reefs.
Hurani said he and his team value the generalizability of coral conservation methods when they study them. Considering that some underdeveloped areas may not be able to invest enough manpower and funds to study and protect corals. They try to artificially cultivate small pieces of coral in tanks filled with seawater and put them back into the ocean when they have multiplied and grown in flocks.
Jordanian coral research specialist Fouad Hurani demonstrates cultivated corals at a laboratory in the Aqaba Marine Science Station in Jordan on May 20. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ji Ze
They are also exploring artificial breeding of coral larvae, breeding fragments of different species of corals together, etc., in an attempt to breed corals that are more environmentally resilient for future transplantation into endangered coral waters.
"The key is to raise public awareness of protection. Only when visitors realize the importance of corals can the damage to them be reduced. For this reason, he said, the science station has an aquarium open to the public, and the marine life in the museum comes from the nearby Gulf of Aqaba. They hope that in this intuitive way, visitors will learn about the abundance but fragility of marine life.
"Corals are the wealth of all mankind, and protecting corals is also the responsibility of all mankind, and we need to jointly guard the brilliant life in the ocean." Hurani said.
On May 20, visitors visit the Aquarium of marine science stations in Aqaba, Jordan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ji Ze