Arab News | Saudi university launches Red Sea coral restoration facility amid worsening global reef bleaching crisis

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has launched a large-scale coral restoration facility on the Red Sea coast, aiming to produce up to 360,000 corals annually and restore 100 hectares of reef by 2030.

The opening of what KAUST describes as the world’s largest coral restoration facility was announced at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Turkiye, according to a university statement published late Wednesday.

The KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative (KCRI) operates a land-based nursery and research campus. It aims to plant more than 2 million corals across 100 hectares of reef at Shushah Island by 2030 and establish a resilient reef ecosystem by 2040.

The project comes as coral reefs face mounting threats from rising ocean temperatures and marine heat waves.

Global coral bleaching crisis

The fourth global coral bleaching event, which occurred between 2023 and 2025, affected more than 84 percent of the world’s reef area, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. It was the most severe such event on record.

Scientists also warn that a powerful El Niño weather pattern, forecast to intensify through early 2027, could expose vulnerable reefs to renewed severe heat stress.

KAUST said the Red Sea offers valuable opportunities for research because its corals survive in some of the world’s warmest and saltiest waters. Their natural resilience could provide lessons for protecting reefs elsewhere.

The initiative combines the region’s distinctive coral species with KAUST’s marine science expertise to develop methods for growing corals at scale and conditioning them to withstand warmer waters before they are returned to reefs.

It also draws on the expertise of the Coral Research and Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP), an international initiative working to advance scientific and technological solutions for coral conservation and restoration.

Research, artificial intelligence and restoration

KCRI brings together four main components: a large-scale land-based coral nursery, sea-based nurseries, more than 50 research programs and an artificial intelligence-driven monitoring system.

The research programs cover areas including coral probiotics, heat-resistant corals, robotics and AI-based modeling.

The initiative also uses eCoral, an AI-driven digital twin of the reef system. The technology helps determine where corals should be planted and guides their subsequent monitoring.

“For the first time, we don’t just have the technology to predict the future of our oceans. We have the power to change it,” said Prof. Carlos Duarte, a KAUST distinguished professor and CORDAP executive director.

He described KCRI as a beacon of hope for the Red Sea and a potential model for coral restoration efforts worldwide.

Building Saudi scientific expertise

Saudi scientists, divers and aquarists are playing an important role in the initiative, developing specialized skills in coral cultivation, marine science and reef restoration.

KAUST said the project represents a long-term investment in the Kingdom’s marine science capabilities, beyond its immediate environmental goals.

“When we set out to develop KCRI, the ambition was to tackle a challenge that had never been addressed at this scale,” said Ian Campbell, senior vice president of KAUST’s National Transformation Institute.

“Opening the facility is not the finish line,” he said, adding that its success would be measured by the results achieved in the Red Sea, the expertise developed in Saudi Arabia and the contribution the research could make to reef restoration elsewhere.

Amr Atiah, KAUST’s vice president of campus and community and a former KCRI director of special projects, highlighted the opportunities the initiative offers young Saudis.

He said he was particularly encouraged by seeing young people develop an interest in marine science and build careers around protecting the Red Sea.

Atiah expressed hope that the opportunities created by the initiative would encourage more young Saudis to pursue careers in the field.

Protecting marine ecosystems

Coral reefs support about a quarter of all marine species, protect coastlines from storms and sustain the livelihoods of more than 500 million people, according to KAUST.

The university said KCRI aims not only to restore the Red Sea’s reef ecosystem but also to develop a framework that other coral restoration programs around the world could adopt.

KAUST is also working with international partners to find ways to safeguard coral diversity for future generations.