Edited by Nader M. Al-Awadhi and Faisal K. Taha
2002, 352 pp. ISBN: 1-884940-25-0
For the past five years, the Petroleum Energy Center in Japan has been organizing annual symposia jointly with Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to promote the enhancement of the desert environment, with an emphasis on greenery development. These symposia have been held in Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, and have attracted considerable interest from the scientists and professionals active in related scientific fields in the GCC countries as well as worldwide. In bringing together these scientists, the symposia provided international forums for the exchange of views and information. Kuwait was selected to host the symposium December 7-9, 1998. This symposium was organized and sponsored by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and the Petroleum Energy Center (PEC).
The symposium program included invited and volunteered papers in addition to field visits to water desalination plants and a Kuwait Oil Company site for bioremediation activities. The speakers came from Kuwait, Japan, North America, Europe and GCC countries. A total of twenty-three scientific presentations were made during the three-day program. An international review panel prepared comprehensive recommendations to guide the development of sustained greenery and the reclamation of polluted soil.
This publication presents the overall state of present efforts made by scientists in developed and developing countries with regard to the development of greenery and the enhancement of the environment in arid zones. This book is a valuable reference and source of information for those interested in desert greening and environmental improvement.