The waters of the Arabian Gulf where Aramco operates — along with those of the Red Sea — boast some of the highest levels of diversity of marine life anywhere in the world, and we are playing our part to help protect those natural treasures. Good decision-making requires good science, whether it’s for environmental conservation or resource management. A comprehensive understanding of the rich ecology of the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf is crucial to ensure sustainable use and conservation of these regions. This is why Aramco has tapped into the expertise of local academic and scientific research institutions to help us understand and protect our surrounding seas. Partnering up The Saudi Aramco-KAUST Marine Environmental Observations Center (SAKMEO), a partnership established in 2013 between Aramco and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), has been on a fact-finding mission in the Red Sea, building a comprehensive inventory of its flora and fauna, and studying hydrological currents, winds, and wave patterns. Similarly, the Sustaining Research Program — a decades-long partnership between Aramco and the Research Institute of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM/RI) — has produced a wealth of ecological and oceanographic information about the Arabian Gulf, a marine region distinct for having some of the warmest sea waters in the world. These ongoing studies provide the company with in-depth knowledge that can help us reduce our ecological footprint. And research programs like these could, in future, also help us find solutions to many of the most pressing challenges of our times, such as conserving biodiversity, rebuilding the ocean’s fish stocks, or combating global climate change.