Publication of SDG15 report – 2024

“Protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably managing forests, combating desertification, halting and reversing land degradation, and halting biodiversity loss.” 

This goal sets targets for: 

1. Conserving the biodiversity of forests, deserts, and mountain ecosystems as a percentage of total land mass. 

1. Achieving a land degradation-neutral world by restoring degraded forests and land lost to drought and floods. 

1. Preventing the invasion of alien species and increasing protection for endangered wildlife. 

The Importance of Land and Ecosystems 

1. Human life depends on the land for sustenance and livelihood. 

1. Plant life provides 80% of human food, making agriculture a critical economic resource and a key driver of development. 

1. Land ecosystems are essential sources of clean air and water and play a crucial role in combating climate change. 

University’s Role and Policies 

1. Resource Development and Sustainability 

• The university adopts an effective role in developing natural resources and ensuring their optimal use. 

• Focuses on infrastructure and research projects to enhance production, especially in biological systems with diverse ecosystems (plants and animals). 

1. Encouraging Organic Agriculture 

• Promotes organic farming practices that are safe for human health and rely on biological systems. 

• Ensures the quality and monitoring of biological systems and their safety. 

1. Water Conservation and Waste Management 

• Establishes policies to: 

• Rationalize water disposal and conservation. 

• Assess water quality to protect ecosystems, human health, and well-being. 

• Reduce plastic consumption, safely dispose of waste, and promote recycling. 

1. Sustainability in Business 

• Adopts a sustainability policy in its business operations as a tool to achieve sustainable development goals. 

Scientific Research 

The university’s scientific production in this objective, as recorded in the Scival databases for the period from 2021-2024, includes: 

1. 3 research papers with an impact of 0.78. 

1. 36 reference citations. 

King Salman International University also encourages researchers to publish internationally to support the goal of life on Earth and contribute to sustainability solutions. 

Goal 15 objectives: 

1. Ensuring the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in accordance with obligations under international agreements by 2020. 

1. Promoting the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally by 2020. 

1. Combating desertification, restoring degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world by 2030. 

1. Ensuring the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biological diversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are indispensable for sustainable development by 2030. 

1. Taking urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. 

1. Promoting the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources, and enhance access to those resources, as internationally agreed. 

1. Taking urgent action to stop poaching and trafficking in protected species of flora and fauna, and address illegal wildlife products, both at the supply and demand levels. 

1. Taking measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems, and control or eradicate priority species by 2020. 

1. Integrating ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies, and accounts by 2020. 

1. Mobilizing and significantly increasing financial resources from all sources for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems. 

1. Mobilizing significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives for developing countries to promote such management, including forest conservation and reforestation. 

1. Strengthening global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities. 

University Policy to Achieve the Goal: 

1. The university adopts many researches and studies on the development of natural resources and their optimal use, biological systems, and life on Earth. 

1. A team from King Salman International University conducted research on smart digital technologies to calculate water consumption of olive trees using the Sapflow device, and the team seeks to apply it in South Sinai Governorate. 

1. The Faculties of Desert Agriculture, Science, and Veterinary Medicine participated in the Agriculture and Climate session at the Climate Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh 27 COP. 

1. King Salman University has signed a joint cooperation agreement with the Agricultural Bank of Egypt on Tuesday, November 23. 

1. King Salman International University organized a day to clean the beach of Nabq Reserve in Sharm El Sheikh, as it is one of the most important natural reserves in Egypt. 

Cooperation protocols between King Salman University and: 

1. Desert Research Center 

1. National Water Research Center 

1. Agricultural Research Center 

1. Egyptian Forum for Sustainable Development 

1. Participating in sponsoring the International Conference of the Patent Liaison Office in the fields of agriculture and food security. 

1. The university also took care of the needs of people with disabilities by including ramps next to the stairs at the entrances to all buildings and equipping bathrooms with special bases and handrails. 

The university, with its three branches on the Green Campus, ensures that: 

1. The number of parking spaces and their ratio to other campus facilities promote sustainable transportation options and reduce carbon emissions. 

1. The area of green spaces at the university is 30,000 square meters, with an additional 58,000 square meters for the olive and jojoba farm and various types of vegetables. 

Contracting with private companies to: 

1. Combat pests and insects using methods and techniques that preserve the environment. 

1. Provide cleaning services to keep the university clean, with waste collected daily and removed by a specialized company. 

1. Maintain the branch’s emergency generators to preserve and sustain them. 

1. Monitor and maintain palm trees and green spaces. 

University Policy to Achieve the Goal Through a Risk Management Plan 

University Policy to Achieve the Goal Through a Risk Management Plan 

King Salman International University operates according to plans and mechanisms that aim to ensure that financial resources are sufficient to operate the university and provide educational services with the required quality, with the possibility of carrying out research and development activities. This was represented in following an effective system in setting the financial budget and reviewing it with the relevant experts from the University’s Board of Trustees to keep pace with the university’s goals and priorities, while defining financial responsibilities and delegations within the limits permitted by law, and under the supervision of senior management, internal oversight, external review by the Audit Office, and oversight by the Central Auditing Organization. 

Financial Risks and Insufficient Financial Resources: 

1. The strategic plan aims to ensure that the university has a stable and sustainable financial future, through developing a financial audit plan in accordance with existing risk assessment processes, taking into account best practices for all the university’s regulatory businesses and activities, including capital adequacy requirements. 

1. The university anticipates the risks that may arise within a comprehensive study to assess the risks and manage the necessary resources on its own to confront those risks, especially in the start-up phase due to limited financial resources. 

1. Given the newness of the university and the challenges it faces, the university is requesting support from the Ministry of Higher Education to confront some risks that the university cannot currently provide the necessary resources to address. 

1. With the development of the university’s work and the activation of the various sources of financial resources, the university will be able to develop the necessary financial plans to confront various risk scenarios and rely on its own resources. 

Long Distance, Long Inspection Time, and Road Accidents: 

1. Some of the obstacles facing the university are: 

1. Distance from the rest of the governorates 

1. Multiplicity of headquarters (in the cities of El Tor, Sharm El Sheikh, and Ras Sudr) 

1. The special nature of the roads in South Sinai Governorate, the presence of long hours during inspection procedures at checkpoints, and severe congestion while crossing the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel, especially during winter. 

1. The university administration has communicated with national companies to transport students from the governorates to the university headquarters and back to their governorates. 

1. The Ministry of Defense Secretariat has been contacted to facilitate the passage of faculty members through the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel. 

Water and Electricity Outage: 

1. South Sinai Governorate, especially Ras Sudr city, suffers from unstable electricity, which negatively affects the university’s technological infrastructure and the failure to operate the water pumping station to fill the operational water tanks of the university buildings and irrigate the plantations of the general site. 

1. The university is working hard to operate the electricity generators of the university branches and establish a groundwater desalination station in the Ras Sudr branch and then the El Tur branch. 

Natural and Man-Made Disasters: 

1. Due to the location and nature of South Sinai Governorate, it is constantly exposed to heavy rains and floods that lead to losses in facilities and transportation routes. 

1. The university conducted accurate tests to insulate the roofs of all buildings and developed executive plans to address this type of risk by forming a crisis and disaster response unit to implement a D Plan and make the necessary decisions in the event of any natural disasters to protect the university and its members. 

1. As a smart university, the university places technological solutions among its priorities to confront risks. 

Violence and Terrorist Acts: 

1. The violent events and terrorist operations in North Sinai impose on the university to take full care of its members and secure its facilities against any attacks. 

1. The university is working to convey the true image of the stability of security and international tourism in South Sinai Governorate and to erase the media image of parents through the university’s marketing plan. 

1. This analysis shows the importance of the media in attracting students to the university. 

Key Achievements (2024-2025) 

Scientific research on environmental sustainability and desert agriculture 

– The University conducts research projects focused on improving land use, desert agriculture, and sustainable resource management, particularly adapted to South Sinai’s arid environment. 

– These projects aim to combat desertification and promote agricultural innovation in dry regions. 

Faculty of Desert Agriculture organizes a field trip to SEKEM 

– Students learned about organic farming, soil conservation, and sustainable agricultural practices that preserve land productivity and biodiversity. 

– This visit strengthened the link between academic learning and real-world ecological sustainability models. 

KSIU conducts research into technologies to calculate water consumption of olive trees 

– This innovative project contributes to sustainable agricultural water management, reducing soil degradation and improving the efficiency of irrigation systems in arid lands. 

Architecture and Tourism students organize educational trips to eco-resorts in Nuweiba 

– These activities promote understanding of environmentally friendly land development, green architecture, and preservation of natural landscapes in fragile desert ecosystems. 

Participation in the “Green Sharm El-Sheikh” initiative 

– By supporting the local environmental agenda, the University contributes to reducing land pollution, protecting terrestrial biodiversity, and implementing green campus practices aligned with Egypt’s Vision 2030. 

Environmental awareness programs and sustainability education 

– The University promotes awareness among students and staff about biodiversity conservation, sustainable farming, and responsible land use through workshops, lectures, and student clubs. 

Integration of sustainability in curricula and field training 

– Courses in Environmental Science, Agriculture, and Architecture include fieldwork components related to sustainable land management, soil fertility, and ecosystem protection.