Iran has key role in protecting Persian Gulf environment: Academic

Ahmad Savari, a member of the academic board of Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, was speaking with IRNA on Saturday. 

He said the Environment Department represents Iran in the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (R.O.P.M.E) which is sponsored by the UN.

Savari added that the Environment Department, in cooperation with Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, has carried out a cleaning of the Persian Gulf. 

The university official stressed the need for taking measures to protect the Persian Gulf ecosystems in the face of threats endangering the environment there.  

Savari explained that one of those threats is caused by the movement of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf as more than 30% of global oil is produced there and nearly 60% of crude is transferred via this sea. 

He said the littoral states of the Persian Gulf have a high-level consumption of plastic materials that enter rivers as a result of rain and wind, and then reach the sea where they threaten marine life.

At the same time, the official added, countries like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Iraq and Oman supply their drinking water through the Persian Gulf, and this leads to environmental problems in this region. 

Elsewhere in his interview, Savari stressed the need for enhancing sea transport, saying that the marine economy is important for boosting trade and developing the fishery industry, among other things. 

This way, he added, numerous job opportunities will be created as well. 

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