Red Sea corals - Bridging science & diplomacy in favor of the « Reefs of Hope »
The photo exhibition gives us the opportunity to « dive » into the heart of the missions carried out in 2022 and 2023 in Djibouti by the Transnational Red Sea Center (TRSC), in collaboration with its Djiboutian and Sudanese partners, while at the same time telling a formidable human adventure at the confluence of the scientific, environmental, economic and even geopolitical challenges of our time.
From the Gulf of Tadjourah to the Seven Brothers archipelago in the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, in the sometimes calm or turbulent waters of this southernmost tip of the Red Sea, or taken on board the expedition boat, the 90 photos illustrate both the spirit and fieldwork of a unique Swiss initiative. Launched in 2019 at EPFL with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAE), this initiative aims to preserve coral reefs of a very special kind, as they have demonstrated an exceptional capacity to resist climate change.
These Red Sea “reefs of hope” represent a de facto unique opportunity to ensure that at least one major coral ecosystem - and with it the services they provide to the region's populations - will survive for future generations, in a context where corals are disappearing at a dramatic rate elsewhere in the world due to global warming. Provided they are preserved from potential sources of local destruction. The TRSC's ambition is to promote the study and conservation of Red Sea corals through a regional approach bridging science and diplomacy, and involving the eight countries bordering the Red Sea: Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Israel, Jordan, Sudan and Yemen.
Since its creation, capitalizing on Switzerland's neutrality and long tradition of promoting dialogue, as well as EPFL's reputation for scientific excellence, the TRSC has carried out initial missions to the northern Gulf of Aqaba (Israel and Jordan), Sudan and Djibouti, in collaboration with local academic and institutional partners, as well as numerous educational, training and capacity-building workshops for the scientific community. The third pillar of the TRSC's action is raising awareness through art, such as the Voices of the Reef project, launched in Jordan in 2024.
On March 25, the exhibition will be complemented by a conference on the same theme as part of the Cycle sur la Durabilité. Details to follow.
Practical information
- General public
- Free of charge
- If you have any questions, please contact Samuel Gardaz : samuel.gardaz@epfl.ch / +41 76 563 65 43
Team EPFL Alumni