Prince Sultan Research Center for Environment, Water and Desert explained
Prince Sultan Institute for Environmental, Water and Desert Research
معهد الأمير سلطان لأبحاث البيئة والمياه والصحراء |
| Former Name: | Prince Sultan Research Center for Environment, Water and Desert |
| Size: | 250px |
| Abbreviation: | PSIEWDR |
| Formation: | 1986 |
| Headquarters: | King Saud University, Riyadh |
| Region Served: | Saudi Arabia |
| Leader Title: | Director |
| Leader Name: | Abdul Malek Al al-Shaikh |
| Website: | http://www.psrcewd.edu.sa |
The Prince Sultan Institute for Environmental, Water and Desert Research is a Saudi Institute was established in 1986 under the name "Center for Desert Studies".[1] It is as an independently administered research organization directly linked to the rector's office of King Saud University.[1] The Institute's purpose is to design and conduct scientific research which is related to desert development and to combating desertification in the Arabian Peninsula.[1]
The Institute is active in the environmental application of remote sensing technologies and maintains its own Remote Sensing Unit equipped with GIS and advanced programs for satellite image processing.[2] In 2007, the Institute published the Space Image Atlas of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which it produced in partnership with the Space Research Institute of King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology and Geospace Austria.[3]
The Institute is a primary sponsor of the International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environments which has been held biennially in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia since 2004.[4]
The Institute also serves as headquarters for the General Secretariat of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water.[5]
Fields of Research Interest
Within the context of the arid environments of the Arabian peninsula, the Institute is interested in pursuing research in the following areas:[6]
- Desert environment systems
- Aridity, and aridity control measures
- Environmental pollution
- Environmental awareness and education
- Environmental impact of projects
- Climate change and early warning of climatic disasters
- Maintaining environmental balance
- Ecotourism
- Land deterioration, desertification, and sand dune stabilization
- Natural resources of the desert and their development and protection
- Forests and afforestation
- Rangeland management and maintenance
- Forage crops in both arid and desert environment
- Adaptation of imported plants and animals under desert conditions
- Identification and evaluation of indigenous plants
- Deriving benefit from desert fauna, camels in particular
- Genetic modification of indigenous flora and fauna, and protection of native genomes
- Preservation of wildlife and biodiversity
- Arid land regions
- Reclamation and cultivation of desert lands
- Traditional agriculture and sustainable development in Saudi Arabia
- Care and development of date palms
- Water resources, methods of exploring water supplies to avoid scarcity, and the development of relevant technologies.
- Irrigation systems
- Administration of water resources, particularly rainwater harvesting and storage
- Water policy for achieving water security
- Water reservation; economical ways of using water for agricultural purposes
- Desalination
- Economies of utilizing saline water and sea water in agriculture
- Utilization of new technologies in research, especially remote sensing and geographic information systems
- Solar energy; its utilization in agriculture and desert development
- Economic studies relating to patterns of exploitation and agricultural production in the desert.
See also
External links
Notes and References
- http://www.psrcewd.edu.sa/english/about.html "The Center in Brief"
- (2008). Prince Sultan International Prize for Water: Activities and Winners 2008, pp.11-13. KSU Press., Riyadh. no ISBN
- http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/pdf/pres/copuos2007/19a.pdf Dr Abdulmaleh A. Al-al Sheikh, "Technical Presentation: Space Image Atlas of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"
- http://www.psrcewd.edu.sa/english/conferences.html "Conferences & Seminars"
- http://www.psrcewd.edu.sa/english/about.html "Goals of the Center "
- http://www.psrcewd.edu.sa/english/interests.html "Fields of Interests"
