Arab Region
Arab Millennium Ecosystem Sub-global Assessment
Assessment summary
The Arab Region Sub-Global Assessment began as an associate assessment of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA). Its remit was to go beyond the global MA and pave the way for the adoption of integrated assessments in the Arab region. Three sites, representing the dominant ecosystems of the region, were selected as the focus of the study - the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt; the Tafilalet Oasis in Morocco; and the Assir National Park in Saudi Arabia. This Arab Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Synthesis Report integrates the findings of these three assessments. It highlights the commonalities and differences between them and how they relate to the national, regional and global ecosystem. The report also looks at some of the more detailed findings for selected ecosystem services.
Assessment objectives
- To produce an integrated assessment of the Arab region, including three local assessments in different countries: the Sinai Egypt SGA, the Assir Saudi Arabia Assessment and the Tafilalt Morocco Assessment (with support from Saudi Government).
- To meet the needs of and communicate the assessment information to decision-makers.
- To build capacity to undertake integrated assessments of ecosystems of key partners.
- To help develop and test methodologies for integrated multi-scale ecosystem assessments and methodologies for integrating local and “scientific” knowledge.
- To promote widespread adoption of integrated assessment approaches in the region.
- To build a framework for the collection, analysis, and synthesis of ecosystem-wide data for decision making at multi-level, including the local community.
- To link and incorporate the outcomes into global assessments.
- To identify networks of actors and organizations playing critical roles in the sustainable management of ecosystems of those sites and to bridge gaps between science, technology, and sustainable development and define the existing resource base devoted to bridging these gaps.
Mandate for the assessment
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) was called for by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2000. Initiated in 2001, the objective of the MA was to assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and the scientific basis for action needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of those systems and their contribution to human well-being. The Arab Region Sub-global Assessment started in the latter stage of the MA as an associate assessment; as such, it was intended to go beyond the global MA.
Figure 1. Sub-assessment regions: Sinai Egypt SGA, the Assir Saudi Arabia Assessment and the Tafilalt Morocco Assessment.
Ecosystem services assessed
- Marine
- Coastal
- Forest and woodland
- Cultivated/Agricultural land
- Grassland
- Mountain
Sub-assessment reports
Sub-assessment relevant resources
Reports
Subsequent reports