Developing the World’s Largest Coral Garden

KAUST recently partnered with NEOM on the world’s largest coral restoration effort at the Kingdom’s leading giga-project. The project will see the establishment of an enormous coral reef at Shousha Island off the coast of NEOM in the Red Sea in northwest Saudi Arabia. The initiative marks KAUST’s largest-ever technology transfer to a commercial partner and will provide a significant boost to the university’s world-class coral research. NEOM has committed to protect 95% of the nature within its borders, and the new Shousha Island project is a tangible demonstration of this. In November 2021, Saudi Arabia announced plans to develop a new industrial city at NEOM called Oxagon, which will include an oceanographic institute for pioneering marine research that will work to protect the Red Sea and other marine environments.

Coral reefs are among the most important ecosystems in the world: they cover just 1% of the ocean floor but are home to approximately 25% of marine species. However, due to the effects of climate change and other environmental stressors, coral reefs are under increasing threat. Scientists agree that allowing global temperatures to increase by a level of 2°C above pre-industrial levels would cause widespread devastation of the globe’s coral reef ecosystems. Experts say Saudi Arabia has a unique opportunity to safeguard marine life, and coral restoration can play a key role in helping reefs recover from damage. The Red Sea is home to some of the most heat-resilient coral in the world, and the project at NEOM will pioneer efforts to help coral reefs cope with future changes in climate. The project will include the development of a 100-hectare coral reef around Shousha Island, and involve both restoration innovations and methods for conserving reefs in a changing climate, with KAUST technologies playing a major role. The project will also include the world’s largest coral nursery, which will prepare coral for planting around Shousha Island.

Set to be completed in 2025, the project will be a centerpiece of NEOM’s vision for human development in harmony with nature, and will enable Saudi Arabia to strengthen the resilience of the Red Sea for future generations. The restored coral reef will present a unique research and development opportunity for coral preservation, and attract international scientists, researchers and eco-conscious travelers. The new coral nurseries will also be the world’s first and largest repository for Red Sea species. The Red Sea is home to more than 300 native coral species and 1,000 species of fish, many of which are not found anywhere else.

NEOM will utilize KAUST Maritechture™ technologies developed by scientists at the university’s Red Sea Research Center and Coastal and Marine Resources Core Lab. This new technique involves growing and planting coral like a garden. Living coral are first 3D scanned and then coral skeletons are 3D printed, upon which living coral polyps attach and grow. This enables new coral to be grown in a matter of months rather than decades. The technique involves sensors that continuously monitor the health of the coral and then relay the data to scientists. This technology will be used in on-shore coral nurseries before being employed to populate coral gardens surrounding the island. This innovative technology addresses the most challenging aspects of marine restoration and is set

KAUST partners with NEOM to help coral reefs cope with future changes in climate

to benefit the region for generations to come. KAUST researchers involved in the project include Professor of Marine Science Carlos Duarte, a globally recognized ocean conservation researcher and leader in multiple branches of biological oceanography and marine ecology, along with Associate Professor of Marine Science Manuel Aranda, an evolutionary biologist with expertise in functional genetics and coral reef genomics, with a focus on how corals adapt to changing environmental conditions.

KAUST has been contributing to efforts to restore coral reefs and mangrove forests, and rehabilitating degraded and marginal lands at scale. In October 2021, KAUST President Tony Chan participated in a panel discussion at the Saudi Green Initiative forum in Riyadh to discuss ideas to manage coastal areas and marine ecosystems, and restore biodiversity. He called for more partnerships and collaboration between the public and private sectors to achieve environmental objectives. Since the creation of the KAUST campus in 2009, the surrounding mangrove forests have increased their area by 20%. KAUST has designated around 150 hectares as conservation areas to enhance these efforts and has assisted the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in the creation of the G20 Coral R&D Accelerator Platform to secure a future for coral reefs around the world. KAUST is now the global headquarters for this effort.

NEOM

“One of our missions at NEOM is to reinvent conservation for the good of the natural world and for future generations to enjoy. Our coral reef collaboration with KAUST is a vivid example of how we are doing that.”

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM CARLOS DUARTE Distinguished Professor of Marine Science

THIS PROJECT WITH NEOM IS KAUST’S LARGEST TECHNOLOGY TRANSLATION EFFORT TO DATE AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO RESHAPE CORAL REEF RESTORATION GLOBALLY.