Wildlife 2023 English REPORT

Group Chief Executive Officer

John Pagano

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a rich and storied relationship with the sea. From ancient Roman spice and silk trade routes along the Red Sea to thriving port towns that supplied incense and other exotic goods to faraway markets, the Kingdom’s coastlines have long acted as gateways to the Middle East and lands beyond.

At Red Sea Global, we’re privileged to be able to contribute to this heritage, with a mission to preserve and enhance those gateways by welcoming visitors from across the world to our flagship destinations at The Red Sea and Amaala.

With this privilege comes an enormous responsibility. A recent study from Australia’s University of Queensland found that just 16% of the world’s coastal regions remain ecologically intact, most of them in Canada, Russia and Greenland.1 The university’s study is a call for urgent action to protect and safeguard undamaged seaside regions as well as for efforts to restore coastal areas that have already suffered from over-development and environmental damage.

This issue speaks to me on a personal level, and I know it matters to everyone working at Red Sea Global. Throughout our organization, at the heart of everything we do, lies the conviction that responsible development and regenerative tourism are essential in the fight to protect the natural habitats of our world’s precious marine and coastal areas.

That’s why we’re pioneering the creation of new benchmarks for our industry. We aim to push beyond mere conservation and explore innovative ways to regenerate the natural ecosystems in which we operate. We’ve set a quantifiable target of achieving a 30% net conservation benefit by 2040, and we publish annual updates that measure our progress toward this ambitious goal.

1 https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cobi.13874

Our vision for regeneration and sustainability is the driving force behind this report. We conducted meticulous surveys across our destinations to establish a baseline of understanding of the vast range of flora and fauna that call these regions home. These surveys yielded crucial data on endangered species such as the Sooty falcon and Halavi guitarfish, the nesting grounds and breeding success of birds and sea turtles, the population status of reef fishes, the carbon sequestering potential of seagrasses, and so much more.

By studying the results of these surveys, we can act with scientific certainty when exploring the next stages of our developments. The research contained in this report will help to shape how and what we develop. It’s another vital tool in our constant effort to mitigate any negative impacts from our developments and to actively protect and benefit regional wildlife.

This report’s findings build on our initial environmental baseline survey of The Red Sea area --the largest ever conducted by a private developer – and provide insights into the outstanding natural beauty and biodiversity of the region. They will also be essential to tracking our progress against our sustainability commitments as we continually challenge ourselves to do better as global leaders of responsible development.

I trust that you’ll find reading this report as enlightening as I did. And I hope that you will get the chance to experience first-hand the beauty of the Red Sea coast and the incredible diversity of its wildlife as we welcome the world to our unique destinations.

Introduction

At the Red Sea Group (RSG), we are committed to conserving and enhancing the diverse native wildlife and environments in our area so that we can achieve net positive ecological outcomes. Effective management requires high-quality information streams. To that end, we have established comprehensive survey programs covering the key ecosystems and species within the approximately 250 km of Red Sea coastline within our two areas – The Red Sea (TRS), centered around Al Wajh lagoon, and, slightly north of that, Amaala.

Most of the work documented here has been conducted by our dedicated science team, but we also partner with other groups within and beyond Saudi Arabia to ensure that we remain at the leading edge of methods and technologies to monitor our critical resources.

Last year we reported on the 2021 baseline surveys at TRS. Here we report our similar baseline effort at Amaala and results from the first year of ongoing surveys at TRS. RSG’s goals for this highly diverse area are not only to minimize potential negative impacts of development but also to achieve a net conservation benefit. The Amaala and TRS baselines are the initial benchmark for RSG to measure itself against its commitment to leaving the destination a more thriving and healthier place than it was before. As such, these surveys will set key indicators for regular reporting into:

• Condition of our coral reef habitats, including coral cover and diversity

• Population status of reef fishes, sharks and rays

• Size of breeding populations of key bird species, and measures of their breeding success

• Size of nesting Green and Hawksbill sea turtle populations on our islands

In addition to those ecosystems, our other survey programs assess and report on the extent and condition of mangroves and seagrass, marine mammal populations, and environmental conditions. As part of this report, we share some results and examples from those broader efforts. Future reports will include outcomes from the equally comprehensive terrestrial monitoring programs that we are developing.

In 2022, our team conducted 160 coral reef fish and habitat surveys, more than 240 bird surveys, 200 turtle nesting surveys, 30 marine mammal surveys, more than 150 mangrove surveys and 250 seagrass surveys. It visited more than 300 sites for environmental surveys (e.g., salinity, temperature, oxygen level), and between TRS and Amaala, around 30,000 bird nests and more than a thousand sea turtle nesting tracks. These tracks include 487 Green turtle tracks at the main breeding location in our area – Breem Island.

We extended our use of machine learning technology to automatically analyze coral reef survey images, making further improvements to the accuracy of our CoralNet system (https://coralnet.ucsd.edu/). Using such technology dramatically increases our ability to gather reliable and consistent data across such a vast and diverse area.

The report is divided into four chapters - three focused on a particular wildlife or environment category and one giving more details on technological approaches that we are using:

• Coral Reef Fish and Habitats

• Birds

• Priority Megafauna

• Other surveys

All of our habitats are precious and potentially vulnerable, but some habitats in our area are especially important for species that are considered critically endangered or vulnerable to extinction, such as the Hawksbill turtle, the Sooty falcon, and the Halavi guitarfish. The work being done to preserve and nurture this area and protect these key species will benefit not only our area but also contribute to larger conservation efforts in the region and beyond.

Two-band clownfish

Executive Summary

Understanding the diverse ecosystems at our destinations and helping wildlife to thrive there is a vital part of Red Sea Global’s ethos of responsible development and regenerative tourism. The following report contains a wealth of new research and builds on the findings of our initial environmental baseline survey in 2021 (the largest ever conducted by a private developer). This report expands the scope and scale of the research area to include our newest destination Amaala as well as The Red Sea, so it provides a more holistic and comprehensive view of the entire region under development.

The study focuses primarily on categories of wildlife that we see in the greatest abundance and which we consider to be priorities for protection and enhancement. These categories are namely coral reef fish and their habitats, birds, and megafauna.

Key findings in the report include:

Our survey teams spotted several endangered and vulnerable species of reef fish at Amaala, while coral cover and fish biomass at The Red Sea showed little change from 2021

• Although much smaller in area than TRS, Amaala contains many impressive reefs, with coral cover at Amaala averaging 21.5% within reef habitats.

• 193 fish species were recorded during the 69 Amaala surveys; the most diverse families were Wrasse (36 species) and Damselfish (24 species).

• Amaala surveyors encountered two endangered reef fish species, the Sky Emperor and Humphead Wrasse, as well as four vulnerable species: Bumphead parrotfish; Harlequin filefish and two species of Coral grouper.

• Reef sharks were seen more frequently at Amaala (12 of 69 sites) than at TRS (six of 82 sites). All the sharks that the coral reef team saw during its in-water surveys this year were White-tip reef sharks (Trianodon obesus), which are generally considered not dangerous to people.

• The re-surveys of core monitoring sites at The Red Sea (82 of the 280 sites surveyed for the 2021 baseline) showed only small changes in coral cover and fish biomass between years.

Ospreys, Lesser crested terns and Bridled terns are among our island bird species that are reproducing successfully

• Surveyors counted 2,129 nests belonging to seven species in Amaala, and they documented more than 25,000 nests of 11 species in our second year of monitoring island bird populations at TRS.

• Two Osprey nests occupied by breeding pairs were found at Amaala on An Numan Island, with both pairs having successfully fledged all seven of their total number of chicks by the second visit. Two additional nests occupied by breeding pairs were found on the islands of Nabgiyah and Awandia.

• In addition to Ospreys, breeding pairs or colonies of six other species of birds were discovered at Amaala, with the most abundant species being Lesser crested terns and Bridled terns.

Two-band clownfish

Both destinations contain critically important breeding grounds for endangered species

• Our teams counted 74 Hawksbill and 145 Green sea turtle nesting attempts at Amaala and 251 Hawksbill and 613 Green turtle nesting tracks at The Red Sea. Around half of such attempts generally lead to successful nests, so based on typical nesting events per female per season, we estimate that there were 19 actively nesting Hawksbill females and 40 actively nesting Green turtle females at Amaala. At TRS, we estimate that 69 nesting Hawksbill females and 173 nesting Green turtle females were active this year.

• We observed 17 Sooty falcon breeding pairs at Amaala and 48 breeding pairs at TRS.

• Multiple sightings of juvenile Halavi guitarfish suggest that TRS contains important nursery habitats for this critically endangered species.

Orcas made an exceptional appearance

• A pair of Orcas (killer whales) were obsereved in the Amaala area. This species is a rare visitor to the Red Sea, with fewer than 10 sightings reported previously in the region. The observation at Amaala is by far the northernmost sighting we are aware of for this species in the Red Sea.

We improved our grasp of the potential for seagrasses to sequester carbon

• Our team conducted seagrass rapid assessment surveys at 250 locations across The Red Sea and Amaala.

• Of the 12 seagrass species found anywhere in the Red Sea basin, 10 have been encountered at TRS and seven at Amaala.

• Larger species such as Enhalus acoroides, Thalassia hemprichii and, especially, Thalassodendron ciliatum, contribute to substrate stabilization and sediment accumulation, and hence to enhanced carbon sequestration. These species have extended root systems that trap sediment and allow them to withstand wave action in mud substrate.

Two-band clownfish

For Red Sea Global to manage and enhance The Red Sea and Amaala habitats, we must understand patterns and disentangle the dynamics of different environmental factors such as seawater temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and pH over time and space. Our research team has deployed advanced technologies to capture crucial data on an ongoing basis to build a more detailed picture of environmental trends. These technologies include the recording of multiple physical, chemical, and biotic variables in situ alongside remotely sensed (satellite) data for larger areas.

Other examples of continual monitoring include our equipping of 11 adult Sooty falcons with GPS tags so that we can better understand their habitat use and hunting grounds and ultimately reduce threats to this important and vulnerable species. We also attached ‘satellite tags’ to three Hawksbill turtles that we recently rehabilitated and released back where they had been found. Information sourced via the tags will help us understand the turtles’ key foraging and use areas and support regional and global conservation of this critically endangered species.

The full report that follows delves more deeply into the top-level findings outlined here. It explains the methodology used to gather and analyze the data and provides insight from our expert scientific teams. This research not only informs Red Sea Global’s practice of regenerative development but serves as a reminder of the importance of the natural habitats in which we operate and of the vast array of wild creatures that live along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. As such, these findings contribute important understanding for local stakeholders as well as for the global scientific community and worldwide conservation efforts.

Shallow coral reef habitat

Coral Reef Fish & Habitats

Noteworthy

The area of Amaala reef habitat in our target depth range of less than 20m is much smaller than at TRS (1,077 Ha compared to nearly 7,000 Ha at TRS), as most of the Amaala waters are deeper.

Therefore, our baseline survey effort at Amaala was limited to 69 sites compared to the 280 we surveyed last year for the TRS baseline. The team also re-surveyed 82 TRS baseline sites as part of our ongoing monitoring there.

Although smaller in area than TRS, Amaala reef habitats still contain many impressive reefs, with Amaala coral cover averaging 21.5% and the highest cover at any site being 57.2%.

Fish biomass at Amaala varied between 32.2 g/m2 and 240.3 g/m2 and was very similar overall between Amaala and TRS (Amaala averaged 93.7 g/m2; TRS, 91.8 g/m2).

In total, 193 fish species were recorded during the 69 Amaala

surveys, with the most diverse families being wrasse (36 species) and damselfish (24 species).

Notable fish species sighted at Amaala include both of the two endangered reef fish species known to be present in our area: Sky Emperor (L. mahsena) seen at four sites in 2022, and Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) seen at eight sites. The Amaala survey team also recorded the presence of four species listed as vulnerable: Bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum); Harlequin filefish (Oxymonacanthus halli) and two species of Coral grouper (Plectropomus areolatus and P. marisrubri)

Compared to TRS, reef sharks were more frequently seen this year at Amaala (12 of 69 sites) than at TRS (six of 82 sites). All the sharks seen during in-water surveys by the coral reef team this year were White-tip reef sharks (Triaenodon obesus). However, a number of other shark species were observed at other times this year (see megafauna section for details).

Harlequin filefish

Methods

Our approach for the TRS baseline in 2021 and now TRS and Amaala in 2022 is to conduct highly comprehensive surveys of fish and habitats at representative sites across all coral reef habitats in our target domain of complex reef areas less than 20m deep. Those reef areas were classified into seven habitat types at TRS, but only five of those habitat types are found at Amaala. The TRS baseline included a total of 280 sites. Because the reef area at Amaala is much smaller than at TRS, the Amaala baseline comprised 69 sites. As with TRS, in the Amaala baseline the survey effort was greatest in habitats where we expected highest coral cover, fish biomass, or diversity, and in the habitats that are most comparable across the Red Sea Zone and beyond - reef walls and slopes.

At each site, the survey team recorded the number, size and species of all fishes observed within standard 50m-by-5m transects and took 50 benthic planar photographs at a standard distance (1m) above the reef. Accurate records of location, depth, and survey bearings at each site were made to ensure the same sections of reef can be subsequently resurveyed, greatly improving the ability to precisely measure and assess changes over time.

Our intention is to resurvey all the baseline sites every five years, but a subset of ‘core’ sites will be surveyed annually. In 2022, we surveyed 82 such core sites at TRS. Revisiting the core sites allows us to track change from year to year and thereby rapidly identify any indications of changing state.

Sky Emperor

White-tip reef shark

Table: Habitat classification used for survey design

Results

In general, coral cover at Amaala tended to be relatively high on many of the nearshore wall and slope sites and on the exposed offshore side of An Numan Island. Areas of lower coral cover included the sheltered inshore side of An Numan and sites in the cluster of offshore slope and patch reefs in the southern part of Amaala. Fish biomass varied considerably among sites, but there were no clear spatial patterns across the Amaala reefs we surveyed.

Note: We only included areas where we could realistically survey at least 100m of near continuous reef. There are extensive additional habitats within Amaala where corals and associated fishes are present, but those are typically patchy, sparsely populated or too deep for divers to feasibly survey.

At Amaala, fish biomass tended to be highest at reef crest sites, but there were not large differences in fish biomass among other habitats. By far the lowest fish biomass habitat at TRS in both 2021 and 2022 was at the offshore algal, possibly due to lower habitat complexity and diversity there.

Overall, and within habitat types, reef fish biomass was similar between Amaala and TRS. However, Amaala reef wall sites tended to have lower biomass than TRS walls. That difference was possibly due to impacts of shoreline fishing at Amaala. Unlike Amaala, most of the TRS reef wall sites are far offshore and only accessible by boat.

Figure: Fish and Coral Biomass Bubble Plots, Amaala 2022 surveys

Coral cover per habitat type was also very similar between Amaala and TRS, generally being higher in shallow habitats such as reef crest and reef top habitats at both locations. The re-surveys of core monitoring sites at TRS (at 82 of the 280 sites surveyed for the 2021 baseline) showed only small changes in coral cover or fish biomass between years.

Figure: Coral Cover & Fish Biomass - Amaala Baseline & TRS Core Sites. Biomass of planktivores excluded from the fish biomass figure due to high variability in their counts

Reef Fish Aggregation Sites

Fish spawning aggregations are impressive natural events in which large numbers of fish gather at one place, typically to engage in mass spawning events. However, due to their predictability in time and space, and the large numbers of mature fish involved, spawning aggregations are vulnerable to over-exploitation.

We are learning more about the timing and location of these events in order to protect these fishes better at a critical stage in their lifecycle. Knowledge of the timing and location of these events also provides opportunities for visitors to experience what can be spectacular sights. Since our team began surveys in late 2020, we have documented several such aggregations.

The largest aggregation seen so far was of the Blackspot snapper (Lutjanus ehrenbergii) on a pinnacle reef offshore of Sheybarah. There, many thousands of adult snappers were seen in the same area swimming back and forward across the reef.

School of Blackfin barracuda

Table: Details on known reef fish spawning aggregations

Species Location Timing Description

Lethrinidae Pinnacle back of Waqadi Early June

Crescent-tail bigeye (Priacanthus hamrur) South of Breem Mid July

Blackspot snapper (L. ehrenbergii)

Pinnacle offshore of Sheybarah Mid/late July

Reported aggregation by boat captains and fishermen. Sandbar and tiger sharks seen in the area at this time

School of hundreds of fish. Low on the reef wall in around 20-30m of water

Two-spot snapper (Lutjanus bohar)

Pinnacle offshore of Sheybarah Mid/late July

Thousands of snappers swimming back and forth across the reef

Pre-spawning behavior of 20/30 snappers

Mangrove snapper (L. argentimaculatus)

Pinnacle offshore of Sheybarah Mid/late July

Two-spot snapper (Lutjanus bohar) Waqadi wall

Bumphead parrotfish (B. muricatum)

Early September

A small school of around 20/30 snappers showing pre-spawning behavior

A school of around 100 snappers swimming together up and down the reef wall

Reef wall at Ghawar

Late September

Group of around 100 fish aggregated in shallow water

Figure: Location of known reef fish spawning aggregation sites around Al Wajh Lagoon

Structure from Motion Photogrammetry

In 2022, Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry was implemented at 35 Amaala and 113 TRS sites. All of those are in shallow (5m-20m deep) coral reef habitat. Each SfM site is a permanently marked 20m-by-5m plot. As the same sections of reef are re-surveyed each time, we conduct an SfM, and the resulting data sets allow us to make precise and accurate estimates of change.

Figure: SfM plot locations for Amaala (left) and The Red Sea (right)

SfM photogrammetry allows our team to generate highly detailed digital models of the sites. These include scaled 2D photomosaics and digital elevation models (DEMs).

We use a machine learning tool (CoralNet) to automatically extract cover data from the photomosaics and extract measures of reef structural complexity from the DEMs. As the AI analysis tools improve over the next few years, we aim to use more automated SfM approaches to track the fate (growth, mortality, recruitment) of individual corals within these plots.

Figure: Examples of SfM 2D orthomosaic images from three sites in high resolution over an area of 100 sq m

Birds

Noteworthy

We completed the Amaala islands bird baseline assessment. Compared to TRS, the number of islands and total area available for birds is much smaller (only three islands at Amaala). However, a total of 2,129 nests of seven species were counted.

At TRS, we completed the second year of island bird populations monitoring, counting more than 25,000 nests of 11 species. Breeding population sizes were similar to those counted in 2021.

We extended previous surveys of breeding success, assessing seven species in 2022 and detecting a large variability among them.

The vulnerable Sooty falcon remains a priority species for us. Forty-eight breeding pairs were counted at TRS in 2022, an increase from the 41 pairs counted in 2021. We also counted 17 pairs of this species at Amaala - all on An Numan Island, making it an important breeding location for this vulnerable species.

We initiated a telemetry study by tagging 30 Sooty falcons (both adults and juveniles) in 2021. This allows us to follow their movements and understand which habitats they use in our area during the breeding season as well as where they migrate to over-winter. This will also help us monitor juvenile survival and assess if they will return to our area to breed.

Methods

The survey area at Amaala consists of the three islands suitable for birds. We also visited 92 islands at TRS that were surveyed as part of our TRS baseline in 2021 and will be part of our ongoing monitoring program.

The high-priority Amaala bird species for which abundance and distribution were assessed are: Sooty falcon (Falco concolor), Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Lesser crested tern (Thalasseus bengalensis bengalensis), Great crested tern (Thalasseus bergii velox), White-cheeked tern (Sterna repressa), Bridled tern (Onychoprion anaethetus), Sooty gull (Ichthyaetus hemprichii), White-eyed gull (Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus), Crab plover (Dromas ardeola) and Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia). These species were chosen based on:

1. Their global and local conservation and classification in IUCN Red list (Symes et al., 2017)

2. Their identification as high-conservation priority species for Saudi Arabia (Abuzinada et al., 2003; Boland & Burwell, 2020)

3. Other local considerations, including whether species are endemic to the region.

At Amaala the breeding success was assessed for Ospreys but not for Sooty falcons, since Sooty falcon nests at Amaala are too inaccessible and chicks cannot be seen. However, at TRS breeding success was assessed for seven species (including the Sooty falcon).

The study species were divided per season based on their breeding time:

4. Winter breeders: Osprey, Caspian tern and Red-billed tropicbird.

5. Summer breeders: White-cheeked, Lesser crested, Great crested and Bridled terns; Crab plover; White-eyed and Sooty gulls.

6. Autumn breeders: Sooty falcon.

Osprey

Flamingoes

At TRS we surveyed the Summer and Autumn breeders and the Red-billed tropicbird as part of our ongoing monitoring program.

Bird populations are counted at the peaks of the breeding season - at late egg stage/early chick-rearing. If colonies are counted too early, the late breeders are missed; if counted too late, the early failures are missed. The peak is calculated as a certain number of days after the first egg is spotted in a colony. This number differs among species depending on their synchronicity in egg laying. Species were aggregated in different categories (terns, gulls, plovers and falcons) and the first species laying eggs was taken as reference to start the counting.

For TRS re-surveys, we assessed 11 species surveyed there for the 2021 baseline with the same methods.

Colony & Nest Surveys

At Amaala the islands of An Numan, An Nabqiyah and Awandia were extensively walked in February, May, July and September to assess abundance and distribution of the breeding birds listed above. During the first visit, the osprey nests were located. Once a nest was found, it was categorized as either: i) “old nest,” if it was no longer used by individuals, ii) “active nest,” if any signs of activity were found (fish scrap, droppings, new nesting material); or iii) “nest with breeding pair,” if it was actively used by a breeding pair and contained either eggs or chicks. During the second and third visits, summer-breeding birds’ numbers were assessed and the areas of the colonies geo-referenced. In May, observations of Sooty falcons were also recorded. Finally, during the fourth visit, An Numan Island was surveyed to locate and geo-reference Sooty falcon nests.

At TRS, islands were surveyed from June to October to detect Summer and Autumn breeders as per 2021.

Breeding Success

To assess the breeding success at TRS, at least 30 nests for the seven selected species were visited a minimum of two times each to assess how many chicks fledged out of the eggs laid. The species selected were Red-billed tropicbird; Osprey (in Amaala); Brown booby; Great crested, Lesser crested and White-cheeked terns; and Sooty falcon. Different techniques were used such as visual surveys, camera traps deployment and photogrammetry. We’re still refining our methods for these types of surveys, but we intend to maintain and expand them in coming years.

Results

Osprey Census & Breeding Success

The Osprey is the only member of the Pandionidae family and among the world’s most-studied birds of prey. It is the only raptor that plunge-dives to catch live fish as its main prey source. Ospreys occur on all continents excluding Antarctica, and they live at the shores of shallow waters, from coastal salt marshes to reservoirs and inland lakes. During the breeding season, they need trees or predator-free islands where they can build their large nests made of sticks. At TRS and Amaala sites, they nest on islands, building nests on the ground that can reach 2m in height. The different breeding periods (phenology) are indicated in the table below. One island rarely hosts more than one breeding pair, unless it’s big enough.

Ospreys were recorded frequenting An Numan Island at Amaala during previous surveys, but before this year, the location of the nests and population size had not been assessed.

Table:

Species Month (divided in fortnights)

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Osprey

Out of 13 osprey nests on An Numan, only two were occupied by breeding pairs. The two pairs had three and four eggs, respectively. During the second visit, the breeding success was assessed and both pairs successfully fledged all their chicks.

Also, nine nests were found on Nabqiyah, one of which was occupied by a breeding pair. A total of six ospreys were counted on the islands - presumably two parents with four fledged chicks (to be confirmed during the next breeding season). Only two nests were found on Awandia, one of which was occupied by a breeding pair. Four ospreys were counted on the island: the two parents plus two fledged chicks.

Breeding time of the Osprey at TRS and Amaala sites. In blue, pre-breeding; in green, incubation; in orange, chickrearing periods

Figure: Amaala Osprey and Sooty falcon nests on An Numan (A), Nabqiyah (B) and Awandia (C)

Summer Birds & Sooty Falcon Census

At Amaala, in addition to Osprey, we recorded breeding pairs or colonies of six species (see table). The most abundant species were Lesser crested terns and Bridled terns, and the location of their breeding colonies is shown for Awandia and Nabqiyah Islands.

Notably, 17 Sooty falcon breeding pairs were observed at Amaala – all on An Numan Island (nest locations shown on map with Osprey nests).

Table: Amaala avifauna breeding pairs

Figure: Location of Nabqiyah & Awandia bird colonies

For TRS, results from 2022 can be compared with our counts for most species we surveyed in 2021. However, for operational reasons, Osprey and Caspian and Saunder’s terns were not surveyed at TRS in 2022.

Of species surveyed at TRS in both years, populations were generally stable – some a little higher, some a little lower, but there were no dramatic changes. As populations are naturally variable from year to year, it’s important to survey these species over several years to get good data on any population trends.

Table: Breeding pairs at TRS of species surveyed in both 2022 & 2022

(Note: We were unable to survey some southern TRS islands)

(*) accurate estimate not possible due to breeding pairs nesting in thick vegetation; the range of population estimate is 2678-5356 breeding pairs (average 4017)

(**) comparison in breeding pairs not possible due to the different survey effort

Breeding Success

At TRS, breeding success was estimated for seven species. This parameter is very important to assess the productivity of the bird colonies in terms of chicks fledged and to identify threats or stressors that lead to lower breeding success. For example, if predators are present on one island, there will likely be fewer chicks fledging. Tracking this parameter will help us identify key areas for intervention and give us early indications of future population trends.

In general, the breeding success was quite variable among species. We only tracked two osprey nests, but all seven of their eggs laid resulted in fledged chicks. In contrast, only 10 of 50 (20%) Brown booby eggs resulted in fledged chicks. The cause of low survivorship of smaller chicks of this species will be a focal area for us in coming years. Great and Lesser crested terns showed quite high breeding success (82% and 74%, respectively), but White-cheeked terns struggled to breed successfully (32%). This year, for reasons that are unclear, many White-cheeked tern nests were established in unsuitable places such as mangrove areas. Many birds nesting in mangroves lost their eggs during high-tide events. In contrast, Sooty falcons had a quite high breeding success (63%), although this was marginally lower than in 2021 (68%). However, as the average number of eggs per breeding pair was considerably higher in 2022 than 2021, the number of chicks fledged per pair was greater in 2022. There were 81 fledged chicks this year.

Table: Breeding success (2022)

Megafauna

Noteworthy

In 2022, our first year of surveys at Amaala, 145 Green turtle nesting attempts were recorded, including the first evidence of nesting at Al Nabaqiyah and Awandia Islands. There were 74 nesting attempts by the critically endangered Hawksbill turtle (at An Numan Island and the coastal beaches).

For TRS, 2022 was our second year of surveys. This year we recorded 613 Green turtle nesting attempts on nine islands, and 251 Hawksbill nesting attempts on 21 islands. These numbers are higher than in 2021, but as turtle nesting totals are naturally variable between years, it will take more time before clear patterns can emerge.

From our observations and those of others, five species of shark have been observed in Amaala waters and eight at TRS. Whitetip reef sharks were by far the most commonly observed shark during in-water surveys, but juvenile Blacktips were regularly sighted in the shallows around An Numan and Al Nabaqiyah Islands.

Photo-identification methods showed that a Whale shark sighted at TRS on 7 Nov., 2022, was first observed in the northern Gulf of Aqaba in August 2020.

Together with research partners, we initiated a program to better understand movement patterns and habitat use of the critically endangered Halavi guitarfish. Like last year, this species was regularly sighted in certain areas within the Al Wajh lagoon at TRS.

There were no dedicated dugong surveys at either Amaala or TRS this year, but our team encountered a dugong at Amaala, near Al Numan Island. Since 2020, there have been 27 reliable reports of dugongs at TRS, including two confirmed sightings of adult-calf pairs.

Six species of cetacean have been reported in the Amaala project area and seven at TRS. Notably, we received a reliable report of Orca in the Amaala area. This species is a very rare visitor to the Red Sea basin, with only around 10 previous records. This is the northernmost observation of Orca we are aware of.

Hawksbill turtle

Sea Turtles Methods

We surveyed islands and coastal beaches by walking along the shoreline looking for evidence of nesting. Nesting evidence includes pits from previous seasons’ nests, fresh tracks along the waterline leading onto the island, and fresh nests indicating recent nesting activity. Some coastal beaches are not easily accessible from inshore due to cliffs. At those places, tracks were identified using binoculars from the top of the cliffs.

Amaala surveys were concentrated on An Numan Island and the coastal beaches in and around Triple Bay. Two additional small islands (An Nabaqiyah and Awandia) offshore from Triple Bay, and other coastal beaches, were surveyed when possible. At TRS, 64 of the 92 islands were surveyed (the other 28 islands have had no previous evidence of nesting, lack suitable habitat, or have restricted access). Surveys were conducted at least once per month on the primary nesting areas but less frequently at other islands.

When a track is observed, the location is recorded along with turtle species (easily identifiable from the track), track width, and the presence (or not) of a nest. Other information, including proximity to vegetation, distance to high water mark, and distance to current water line, are also recorded and will help us to later model the distribution of prime nesting habitats. We estimated the age of tracks to calculate likely nesting dates.

Here we report on “nesting attempts,” which include both successful and unsuccessful attempts. Successful nesting attempts lead to a nest, but there are also unsuccessful attempts (‘false-crawls’), in which a turtle crawls onto the beach but returns to the sea without nesting. In some habitats, it is difficult to be certain of the outcome of a nesting attempt if there is very high nesting activity with overlapping tracks, or if we are only able to survey from a distance. Therefore, as is common for turtle nesting surveys, our base reporting unit is nesting attempts. Typically, around or a little less than half of all nesting attempts we have seen lead to an identified nest.

The number of nesting attempts throughout the season can also be used to estimate the population of females nesting that season. Using the methods of Shimada et al. (2021), which are based on the number of tracks and number of identified nests, we estimated nesting female populations for Green and Hawksbill turtles in Amaala and TRS areas.

Green turtle hatchling

Results Amaala

We recorded 145 Green turtle nesting attempts during Amaala surveys – 65 at An Numan Island, 75 on mainland beaches, and five in total on the two other Amaala islands (Al Nabaqiyah and Awandia). These five were the first records of turtle nesting on those islands that we are aware of.

We recorded 74 Hawksbill nesting attempts at Amaala, the great majority of which (61) were at An Numan Island, with the rest on coastal beaches.

Figure: Map of sea turtle nesting at Amaala: An Numan Island (top left) and Amaala coastline and offshore islands (bottom center). Red dots show Hawksbill tracks; green dots are for Green turtle tracks.

The Red Sea

Table: Number of turtle nesting attempts at Amaala and TRS

The Red Sea

In 2022, 613 Green turtle nesting attempts were recorded on nine TRS islands. By far the largest number were on Breem (487). Next highest islands for nesting activity were Waqadi and Ataweel (64 and 35, respectively). The remaining six islands with Green turtle nesting activity had a total of 27 nesting attempts.

Compared to Green turtles, Hawksbills nested on more TRS islands (nine compared to two) but had fewer total nesting attempts (251, compared to 613). More than a third of those were at Waqadi (89), followed by Breem (46). The remaining 19 islands each had fewer than 20 nesting attempts.

The number of nests and nesting attempts correspond with estimated populations of nesting females at Amaala of 19 Hawksbills and 40 Green turtles for the 2022 season; at TRS, we estimate 69 nesting female Hawksbills and 173 nesting female Green turtles.

It’s important to recognize that turtle nesting can naturally vary widely from year to year. Individual females do not nest every year, sometimes only returning every three to five years. Therefore, monitoring over multiple seasons is necessary to get strong estimates of nesting female population sizes and of trends. Our surveys to date are building that information base and helping us understand where to focus our efforts.

Hawksbill turtle

Turtle Rehabilitation & Satellite Tagging

Five critically endangered Hawksbill turtles were rehabilitated and released in 2021 and 2022. Each of these was found with ‘floating syndrome’, which is a well-known condition that involves a build-up of gas within the turtle’s body. This condition prevents turtles from diving, putting them at risk of exposure and boat strikes, and also prevents them from feeding.

Under the approval of the National Center for Wildlife, these turtles were either cared for at Fakieh Aquarium in Jeddah or, in one case, at our base camp at The Red Sea until they had recovered and were in suitable condition for release. At that point, they were released, when possible, near where they had been found.

The release of these turtles was an opportunity for us to ‘satellite tag’ three of them so that we could subsequently gather data on their movement patterns and habitat use.

One of the Hawksbill turtles, which we named Amal, was released near Waqadi Island in May 2021. The map to the right, which shows where Amal spent most of her time following her release, was published recently in the journal “Animal Biotelemetry” (Tanabe et al., 2023).

This information helps us understand key foraging and use areas for this species and contributes to regional and global conservation efforts.

Figure: Areas most frequently visited by rehabilitated Hawksbill turtle Amal, which was released at Waqadi in May 2021. The home range is where the turtle spends most of her time, while the core use area within the home range contains likely foraging or resting areas.

Seasonality of Sea Turtle Nesting

Understanding the key sea turtle nesting periods allows us to identify times of year when it is necessary to carefully manage activities at the prime nesting areas and helps us to understand the best times to observe nesting turtles or possibly even emerging hatchlings. To improve our understanding of seasonality, high-density nesting islands were visited monthly, and a subset of islands with lower nesting densities was surveyed every other month.

These frequent visits to islands allowed us to document the start of nesting and the gradual decline in nesting at the end of the season for both species. Additionally, we were able to show the peak nesting period. Hawksbill nesting occurred between March and September, with peak density in June. For Green turtles, the season spans from April to early December, with peak nesting in August. These seasons align roughly with previously published seasonality for the TRS area (Shimada et al., 2021).

Seasonality data can also allow us to create accumulation curves for each species. As has been shown by other studies, the distribution of nesting across the year tends to be relatively stable from year to year. These accumulation curves enable us to make reliable extrapolations of total nesting activity from incomplete or early-year data.

Figure: Number of Hawksbill & Green turtle nesting tracks observed at key nesting beaches

Sharks/Rays

Methods

Our intention is to develop a dedicated approach for sharks in 2023. Most of our sightings until now have been opportunistic observations made during visits for other purposes to TRS and Amaala locations. For example, rays, sharks and guitarfish occurring in shallow waters around islands were recorded by survey team members conducting turtle nesting surveys. In addition, sharks and rays were observed during reef surveys and by a team conducting large-area surveys to identify suitable places for moorings to be located. Therefore, our results to date are not part of a systematic survey but are nevertheless sufficient to give us an understanding of the species present in our areas, along with some indication of their relative abundance.

Results

In the Amaala area, there were five species of shark observed and eight species of ray. The most common shark species was the Whitetip reef shark, which was commonly sighted during fish/benthic monitoring and manta-tow

surveys. In the waters around both An Numan Island and Nabaqiyah Island, multiple juvenile Blacktip reef sharks (including a group of eight individuals) were observed – suggesting that those are nursery areas. The most frequently observed ray at both Amaala and TRS was the Bluespotted ray, which is common throughout the Red Sea. Oceanic manta have been reliably reported from the waters around An Numan too, though not yet by our team.

Within TRS, there have been observations of eight species of shark and 10 species of ray. The most frequently observed sharks were juvenile Blacktip reef sharks in the shallows around some islands. A single Whale shark (endangered) was observed feeding in waters near Sheybarah in late 2022. Using an international online database that compares the unique “fingerprint” made by the spots and stripes on the side of the shark, we learned that the same individual was previously observed in the northern Gulf of Aqaba on 22 Aug., 2020. We also received a reliable report of a Whale shark near An Numan Island, but without a photograph suitable for identifying the individual.

Juveniles of multiple elasmobranch species, including an Eagle ray, Blacktip reef sharks, Fantail rays, and Whitetail stingrays, were observed at islands within TRS, as was the case at the Amaala islands and at TRS the previous year. Since 2021, two additional species of ray (Porcupine ray and Blotched ray) and a Bottlenose wedgefish (critically endangered) were also observed at TRS. As in 2021, Halavi guitarfish were frequently observed in TRS waters. Halavi are a regional endemic that is critically endangered. As most sightings have been of juveniles, we have a strong indication that there are nursery habitats for this species in our area and are working with partners to learn more. We also observed a single Halavi guitarfish at Amaala this year.

Whale shark

Table: Species observed at TRS & Amaala. Numbers indicate the number of observations of each species during 2022 surveys. Checks indicate reliable previous reports of observations of these species within the project areas. Note that an observation may be of an individual or of a group. Hence, total number of individuals seen can be much higher than the number of observations

Halavi Guitarfish Tagging Study

During 2022, we observed 339 Halavi guitarfish around 26 islands and along the coast at TRS, including individuals measuring from 20-30cm to over 1m in length. Having observed similar numbers and distributions in 2021, it’s clear that the Al Wajh lagoon is a regionally significant site, with several nursery areas for this critically endangered species. Together with researchers from KAUST, we’re studying this species’ habitat use and movement. Our study area is a section of nearshore habitat at Quman Island, where juveniles have been regularly seen. We assess their movement using acoustic tagging. This involves implanting small tags into guitarfish body cavities. These tags “ping” with a unique sequence. When a tagged guitarfish is near one of the receivers deployed around the area, the pings provide time-stamped evidence of their presence and builds information on individuals’ movements.

Over two weeks in November of 2022, the team from KAUST partnering with our team captured 57 guitarfish (24 female, 33 male) and acoustically tagged 16 of those. Thirty-three of the guitarfish captured were under 40cm in length, which is too small to tag. However, this abundance of small guitarfish further supports the hypothesis that this may be a nursery area for the species (estimated size at birth 25-29cm). Our team will return every four months to download data from the acoustic receivers. Given the conservation importance of this species to us, we’re planning to expand our work next year to include regional assessments of genetic connectivity and population size that will give us a much clearer idea of the significance of the Al Wajh population.

Figure: Left- Researchers perform a surgical procedure to insert an acoustic tag in a Halavi guitarfish’s body cavity. Right- Target study location for Halavi guitarfish monitoring at Quman Island. Black dots indicate acoustic monitoring receivers, and orange dots indicate locations where we captured the guitarfish that we then acoustically tagged.

Marine Mammals Methods

Throughout 2022, members of our monitoring team and some of the most experienced boat captains we work with recorded cetacean and dugong sightings – often while these mammals transited through the TRS area. The recorded data includes species type (for cetacean observations), location, date, and time. Where possible, we took an identifying photograph. Because some dolphin species are difficult to differentiate from above the water or at a distance, some dolphin observations were not made to species level. As this is particularly true for Bottlenose dolphins, we grouped the two local species (Common bottlenose and Indo-Pacific bottlenose) for reporting purposes.

Results Cetaceans

Six species of cetacean have been reported in the Amaala project area, including three by our team in 2022. One of those, the Indian Ocean Humpback dolphin, is considered endangered by the IUCN Red List. One exciting observation from previous work around Amaala area is of a group of Orca (killer whales). This species is a rare visitor anywhere in the Red Sea, with fewer than 10 previous reports within the basin (Notarbartolo Di Sciara et al., 2017). The observation at Amaala is by some distance the most northerly sighting we are aware of for this species in the region.

Seven species of cetacean have been observed in TRS waters. During 2022 there were 29 observations of individual cetaceans or pods. This included a large pod of Risso’s dolphin seen near Mardunah Island. Mixed pods of Indo-Pacific bottlenose and Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins were observed on multiple occasions; in fact mixed-species pods of this kind are common phenomena in the Red Sea (Gladstone & Fisher, 2000; Notarbartolo Di Sciara et al., 2017).

Spinner

Table: Cetacean species observed at TRS & Amaala (# observations indicates number of encounters with individuals or groups. Ticks indicate species that are known to be present, based on our previous data or other reliable observations)

TRS and Amaala are characterized by healthy coral reefs

Dugongs (Dugong dugon) are present at TRS and Amaala. However, due to their shy nature in the area, underwater encounters are extremely rare.

Dugong

Although we did not conduct dugong surveys at Amaala in 2022, the team observed a dugong near An Numan Island. The majority of previous reliable dugong sightings at Amaala have been from that general area, with a particular small bay there appearing to be a high-use area. Planned surveys for 2023 will improve our data from that and other important dugong areas at both TRS and Amaala.

We have much more data from TRS. Since 2020, there have been 27 reliable observations of dugongs in TRS waters. These come from both members of the monitoring team, other survey efforts, and trusted local captains. Most of these sightings were of single individuals, however, there have been two confirmed sightings of adult-calf pairs and four other observations of pairs. Combining our sightings with historical data from earlier surveys (as shown to the right) and with results from the seagrass assessment described later in this report, we have the basis for dedicated future efforts to survey and manage this species in their key areas.

Figure: Dugong observations in the TRS area, including historic observations (from Preen, 1989) in yellow, and recent observations (2021 and 2022) in red.

Other Surveys

Ground Truthing Seagrass Habitats

In 2022, our surveys team conducted seagrass rapid assessment surveys at 250 locations across TRS and Amaala. The resulting data greatly improve our understanding of the distribution of seagrass habitats, and of species composition.

Halodule and Halophila species are particularly important as food for dugongs and Green turtles. Those genera are small, fast-growing and pioneer species that are able to recover faster after disturbances (e.g., burial by sediment, grazing) than larger grasses. Cymodocea rotundata is also fast-growing, although of larger size, and is a food alternative for dugongs when Halophila and Halodule spp. are not available.

Larger species such as Enhalus acoroides, Thalassia hemprichii and, especially, Thalassodendron ciliatum, contribute to substrate stabilization and sediment accumulation and hence to enhanced carbon sequestration. Those species have extended root systems that trap sediment and allow them to withstand wave action in mud substrate. Ephiphytes that grow on all species, especially on T. hemprichii and T. ciliatum, are a food source for small grazing organisms, such as snails.

Figure: Seagrass species distributions at TRS (left) and Amaala (right)

As shown in the image on the right below, grazing dugongs leaves characteristic ‘feeding trails’. These are distinct tracks within seagrass beds left after dugongs have consumed seagrass within that track. The presence of these trails is one indication of a dugong feeding ground.

Overall, 10 of the 12 seagrass species found in the Red Sea basin have been encountered in TRS area and seven in Amaala. Halodule uninervis, Halophila decipiens, Halophila ovalis, Halophila stipulacea, Cymodocea rotundata, Thalassia hemprichii, and Thalassodendron ciliatum were recorded at both sites, whereas Halodule pinifolia, Cymodocea serrulata and Enhalus acoroides were recorded only in TRS.

Seagrass species Halophila ovata (top left) and H. stipulacea (bottom left): Dugong feeding trail in mixed Halophila stipulacea and Halodule sp. mixed meadow (right).

Dr. Omar Al Attas

RSZA Head of Environmental Protection and Regeneration

Concluding Remarks

by Dr. Omar Al Attas, RSZA-DES Head of Environmental Sustainability

All too often, coastal developments have come at the cost of a devastating impact on wildlife and natural habitats.

That doesn’t need to be the industry norm, as our work at Red Sea Global demonstrates.

This report is just one of many initiatives that we’ve undertaken to provide a deeply researched, scienceled basis for our work as an environmentally trailblazing developer. All of these initiatives equip us with clear and quantifiable metrics to measure our progress against our core principles of regenerative tourism and responsible development. By placing people and planet at the forefront of everything we do, we can ensure that our stewardship of the region leaves the natural environment in a better state than when we found it.

I’m immensely proud of the efforts my team has made to produce this valuable report. We went the extra mile and then some, conducting more than 150 surveys of coral reef fish and their habitats, counting some 25,000 bird nests and more than a thousand turtle-nesting tracks, and performing 250 surveys of seagrass and 150 surveys of mangrove habitats. We recorded the breeding success of seven species of birds, including Ospreys, Brown boobies, Redbilled tropicbirds, and regionally endangered Sooty falcons.

My team fanned out across more than 90 islands and along 250 kilometers of coastline, and we revisited many sites multiple times to account for migrations and seasonal breeding. We deploy leading-edge technologies wherever possible in our initiatives; for this report, we used machine learning to analyze imagery of coral reef habitats.

The work was painstaking, but critical to assessing the condition and trends of the environment at The Red Sea and Amaala. It ensured that my team members have the deep, personal familiarity and connection with our areas that they will need to make wise decisions about how to protect our rich and diverse habitats.

This report is the result of their efforts. It’s just one of many examples of how serious we are at Red Sea Global about grounding our work in science and finding innovative solutions to some of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges. Last year, we conducted the largest environmental baseline survey ever undertaken by a private property developer. This report extends that baseline to include Amaala while also revisiting The Red Sea area.

We always strive to protect and regenerate the outstanding natural beauty of the Red Sea region, and as we move forward and consider potential new developments, the information we gather for reports like this will underpin every decision we make. Only through this science-led regenerative approach can we achieve our ambition of setting higher standards in our industry – standards to improve and enhance the environment instead of simply exploiting it.

By committing to transparent and sustained reporting about our wildlife and natural habitats, we hold ourselves accountable even as we seek to inspire others.

References

Abuzinada, A., Robinson, E. R., Nader, I., & Al Wetaid, Y. (2003). First Saudi Arabian National Report on the Convention on Biological Diversity. In The National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development.

Link Here

Boland, C. R. J., & Burwell, B. O. (2020). Ranking and mapping the high conservation priority bird species of Saudi Arabia. Avian Conservation and Ecology, 15(2), art18.

Link Here

Gladstone, W., & Fisher, P. R. (2000). Status and ecology of cetaceans in the Farasan Islands marine protected area (Red Sea). Fauna of Arabia, 18, 385–396.

Notarbartolo Di Sciara, G., Kerem, D., Smeenk, C., Rudolph, P., Cesario, A., Costa, M., Elasar, M., Feingold, D., Fumagalli, M., Goffman, O., Hadar, N., Mebrathu, Y. T., & Scheinin, A. (2017). Cetaceans of the Red Sea. In CMS Technical Series (Vol. 33).

Link Here

Preen, A. (1989). The status and conservation of dugong in the Arabian region. MEPA Coastal and Marine Management Series #10

Shimada, T., Meekan, M. G., Baldwin, R., Al-Suwailem, A. M., Clarke, C., Santillan, A. S., & Duarte, C. M. (2021). Distribution and temporal trends in the abundance of nesting sea turtles in the Red Sea. Biological Conservation, 261(January), 109235

Link Here

Symes, A., Taylor, J., Mallon, D., Porter, R., Simms, C., & Budd, K. (2017). The conservation status and distribution of the breeding birds of the Arabian peninsula. In International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Link Here

Tanabe, L. K., Cochran, J. E. M., Williams, C. T., Garzon, F., Langner, U., Hardenstine, R. S., Hawkes, L. A., Brainard, R. E., Eweida, A. A., Marshall, P. A., & Berumen, M. L. (2023). Case report: tracking data from foraging Hawksbill turtles in the northern Red Sea. Animal Biotelemetry, 11(1), 1.

Link Here

Appendices

Island Name Maps

Islands at The Red Sea

Islands at Amaala

Bird Species

The 14 focal species for TRS & Amaala, and their breeding seasonality, are:

• Winter breeders: Osprey, Caspian tern and Red-billed tropicbird.

• Spring breeders: Brown booby, Eurasian spoonbill, Saunders’ tern.

• Summer breeders: White-cheeked, Lesser crested, Great crested and Bridled terns; Crab plover; White-eyed and Sooty gulls.

• Autumn breeder: Sooty falcon

Osprey

Red-billed tropicbird

Sooty falcon

Brown booby Spoonbill

White-cheeked tern

Lesser crested tern

Greater crested tern

Bridled tern

Crab plover  White-eyed gull

Sooty gull