SAUDI ARABIA PRINCESS IMPRESSED WITH SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Princess Haifa admiring a "Discovery Centre" Serengeti.

PRINCESS Haifa Bint Abdul Aziz al Mogrin of Saudi Arabia has said she has been impressed by the Serengeti National Park and preferred it for field experience by participants to the forthcoming youth forum to be held in Arusha, next month.

Princess Haifa made the remarks after visiting the park and seeing the abundant wildlife and other natural resources. "It is unbelievable. I used to read about the Serengeti through various literatures, but today I am overwhelmed from what I have seen here.

It is my first time in Africa and particularly in Serengeti and I don't regret at all coming here," said the Princess.

She said although the forum organised jointly by Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) and the Saudi government would be held in Arusha, youths attending it will visit Serengeti National Park for three days and have a field experience by visiting various conservation projects in the area, such as the rhino management programme; wild dogs reintroduction project as well as lion and hyena research projects.

The youth forum on biodiversity conservation scheduled for January 17 to 28, next year, in Arusha will be attended by youths from both Tanzania and Saudi Arabia.

While in Tanzania, the delegates will visit some wildlife institutions in the country, such as the College of African Wildlife Management Mweka, Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Kilimanjaro National Park.

The Princess, who is the coordinator of the forum, said the forum was taking place for the first time in Africa and Tanzania was chosen to host it due to its historical background and commitment to protecting wildlife and natural resources supported by peace and security prevailing in the country.

The main theme of the forum is "Construction and implementation of the regulatory framework for biodiversity conservation" and it will involve about 50 youths from both Tanzania and Saudi Arabia who will have an opportunity to interact and discuss the future of biodiversity conservation in the two countries.

The youth forum is an initiative by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz for dialogue among forums worldwide under the Saudi International Youth Dialogue Forums programme.

The forums provide a platform for Saudi youth to interact with their peers from different countries, while adopting their creative initiatives and solutions under various themes.

SOURCE;

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)