RIYADH: The Saudi Green Initiative is celebrating World Reef Day by recognizing initiatives taking place to protect and regenerate the Kingdom’s stunning ocean habitats.
The annual World Reef Day on June 1 raises awareness about the importance of coral reefs and the urgent need to protect them.
The SGI was launched in 2021 under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to help protect the planet and combat climate change with three targets: Reducing harmful emissions, foresting and protecting land and sea.
Under the SGI, Saudi Arabia has committed to protecting 30 percent of its land and marine area and is working with international groups such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature to safeguard and restore the natural ecosystems and pristine landscapes of the Kingdom.
“The SGI is highlighting Saudi Arabia’s commitment to national environmental conservation with a month of activity to raise awareness around the Kingdom’s conservation efforts,” a statement from the initiative said.
It said that Saudi Arabia is rich in marine life, and that the Red Sea is home to one of the longest continuous living reefs on earth. Its corals are uniquely resilient and can survive rises in water temperature that would bleach or kill others elsewhere in the world, it added.
Scientists are now studying Red Sea corals to see if they can be used as a basis for coral restoration and survival around the world, said the SGI.
The initiative has a series of programs that will protect and regenerate the Kingdom’s reefs. They include:
The National Center for Wildlife is developing a national strategy by 2025 for the sustainable use of coastal and marine areas to conserve marine biodiversity and reduce damage to reef habitats.
The KAUST Reefscape Restoration Initiative, in partnership with NEOM, is one of the largest reef restoration and conservation programs in the world. The first phase of the initiative is a 100-hectare restoration project at Shushah Island, approximately 20km off the coast. The effort will be a mix of reef conservation, replanting, and restoration; corals will be grown in a nursery before being transferred to the reef.
The Reef Revive Initiative, led by the Baa Foundation, KAUST and Beacon Development, will reduce reef damage using techniques such as transplantation. Reef stewardship is being encouraged by engaging and training local dive operators in coral restoration.
Red Sea Global is establishing a 6,693 km2 ‘no-take’ Marine Protected Area as part of the proposed new Special Economic Zone around the AMALAA and the Red Sea project developments.
World Reef Awareness Day was first observed in 2018 by the Coral Restoration Foundation. Its purpose is to draw attention to the deteriorating state of coral reefs worldwide due to various threats such as climate change, pollution, overfishing, and destructive fishing practices.
The theme this year is “Reef resilience: Protect, restore and sustain” to emphasize the need to take action to ensure the long-term survival and health of coral reefs, which are important breeding and spawning grounds for a wide variety of creatures.
Reefs sequester an estimated 200,000 tons of carbon annually. They protect the world’s coasts by providing a natural barrier against high tides, and minimize the impact of storm surges.
Covering less than 1 percent of the world’s ocean floor, reefs are home to more than one million species, or a quarter of all marine life, including 4,000 species of fish.
The so-called ‘rainforests of the ocean’ are under threat from pollution, rising water temperatures due to climate change and damage caused by fishing and diving activities. Estimates suggest that 90 percent of the world’s coral could disappear by 2050 if action is not taken to save them.