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Saudi Arabia Hosts Groundbreaking Int’l Symposium for Conservation of Sea Turtles in Red Sea

Workshops held during the symposium emphasized an integrated approach to safeguard sea turtles in critical habitats. SPA
Workshops held during the symposium emphasized an integrated approach to safeguard sea turtles in critical habitats. SPA
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Saudi Arabia Hosts Groundbreaking Int’l Symposium for Conservation of Sea Turtles in Red Sea

Workshops held during the symposium emphasized an integrated approach to safeguard sea turtles in critical habitats. SPA
Workshops held during the symposium emphasized an integrated approach to safeguard sea turtles in critical habitats. SPA

Saudi Arabia hosted the inaugural International Symposium for the Conservation of Sea Turtles in the Red Sea, gathering 93 environmental experts, academics, and biodiversity specialists from 10 countries. Held in Jeddah from November 3 to 6 under the theme “Navigating the Future: Advancing Sea Turtle Conservation in the Red Sea through Science, Collaboration, and Innovation,” the symposium marked a significant step toward unified conservation efforts in the region.

Organized by the General Organization for the Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea (SHAMS), this pioneering event—the first of its kind—highlights the Kingdom's commitment to environmental sustainability and global collaboration in protecting Red Sea marine life. Aimed at addressing the pressing challenges facing sea turtles, the symposium aligns with international conservation obligations and seeks to safeguard the region’s natural heritage.

Over four intensive days, the conference showcased the latest research and identified solutions to urgent environmental issues. The event featured seven keynote addresses by leading international experts, along with 31 presentations and four working groups focused on strengthening conservation strategies. Key discussions covered the current state of sea turtle protection in the Red Sea and explored innovative actions to establish a comprehensive conservation framework for the region.

Workshops held during the symposium emphasized an integrated approach to safeguard sea turtles in critical habitats, such as the Ras Baridi breeding sites, which face environmental threats. Participants also gained insights into the efforts of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Marine Turtle Specialist Group (IUCN MTSG) and the Northwest Indian Ocean Turtle Study Team (MTTF NWIO) under the IOSEA Convention’s guidance.

One major outcome of the symposium was the agreement to develop a regional action plan for sea turtle conservation, alongside bilateral initiatives among Red Sea nations to rehabilitate turtle nesting beaches and provide strategic support for future conservation efforts. Additionally, the conference promoted partnerships with universities to facilitate international mentoring for Saudi students and fostered local collaborations aimed at preserving vital turtle habitats, particularly on the "Four Sisters" islands. Recently designated by SHAMS as requiring specialized environmental management, these islands represent a unique ecosystem that will receive targeted conservation efforts.

This landmark symposium underscores the Kingdom’s dedication to environmental preservation and paves the way for collaborative, science-driven solutions to ensure the sustainability of Red Sea biodiversity.

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1st Car Made during Soviet-era in Poland Goes on Display 73 Years Later

This Warszawa M-20 car with serial number 000001, based on a Soviet Union's model, was the first vehicle to leave a car factory in Poland after World War II, on Nov. 6, 1951 and now, 73 years later, it goes on public display at a private museum in Otrebusy, central Poland, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
This Warszawa M-20 car with serial number 000001, based on a Soviet Union's model, was the first vehicle to leave a car factory in Poland after World War II, on Nov. 6, 1951 and now, 73 years later, it goes on public display at a private museum in Otrebusy, central Poland, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
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1st Car Made during Soviet-era in Poland Goes on Display 73 Years Later

This Warszawa M-20 car with serial number 000001, based on a Soviet Union's model, was the first vehicle to leave a car factory in Poland after World War II, on Nov. 6, 1951 and now, 73 years later, it goes on public display at a private museum in Otrebusy, central Poland, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
This Warszawa M-20 car with serial number 000001, based on a Soviet Union's model, was the first vehicle to leave a car factory in Poland after World War II, on Nov. 6, 1951 and now, 73 years later, it goes on public display at a private museum in Otrebusy, central Poland, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The very first car produced in Soviet-era Poland after World War II went on display Friday near Warsaw after it was tracked down in Finland during decades of searching and acquired after years of negotiations.

The chunky 1951 Warszawa M-20 bears the serial number 000001 it had when it left the FSO Passenger Car Factory in Warsaw on Nov. 6 of that year, exactly 73 years ago. It is a relic of the period of Poland’s post-war subordination to communist-ruled Soviet Union.

“We are extremely proud because now we count among the very few people in the world who have retrieved the very first vehicles of the series made in their countries,” said Zbigniew Mikiciuk, a co-founder of the private museum in Otrebusy.

The car was first given to the Soviet army marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, who served as Poland’s defense minister after the war to seal the country’s dependency to Moscow. It eventually was discovered in the possession of the family of Finnish rally car driver Rauno Aaltonen, though the car's history in between remains unclear, Mikiciuk said.
It took more than two years of negotiations to obtain the vehicle from the Finnish owners, The Associated Press quoted him as saying.

The car's original light color has been painted over with a shade of brown that was fashionable in the 1970s and bears marks of once-intensive use that the museum has preserved to keep it authentic, but it is still "holding together” and is “cool” despite its age, Mikiciuk said.
The now-defunct FSO factory intensively sought the original model during the 1970s in hopes of using it to mark an anniversary. The company even offered a new car in exchange for it, at a time when cars were still a luxury in Poland, but to no avail.
The FSO factory was originally built in the late 1940s to make Italian Fiat 508 and 1100 cars, but Soviet leaders in Moscow objected to the ties with a Western company during the Cold War. They ordered production to be based on the Soviet Union's Pobeda (Victory) cars, with Moscow providing the technology and the production lines.
The car now joins the museum’s many historic vehicles, including a 1928 US-made Oakland brought to Poland before the war by a doctor’s family and a 1953 Buick that belonged to Poland’s communist-era Prime Minister Jozef Cyrankiewicz. The former leader brought the car to Poland via the Netherlands apparently to avoid a direct connection to the US during the Cold War.
The museum also displays a Volvo that was used by Poland’s communist leader, Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, known for having imposed martial law in 1981.
“We have been doing this for more than 50 years and we are not collecting cars you can see in the street but cars that have their history, their soul and their legend,” Mikiciuk said.
The museum owners hope that by displaying the initial Warszawa M-20 they can encourage members of the public to come forward and fill in more details of its history.