‘World’s largest’ coral-restoration project unveiled in Saudi Arabia – The National

‘World’s largest’ coral-restoration project unveiled in Saudi Arabia – The National

One of Saudi Arabia's top universities has announced a Red Sea project described as the world’s largest coral reef restoration.The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology initiative aims to produce hundreds of thousands of corals each year.The scheme “represents a significant step towards restoring reefs globally”, according to the university, and is seen as important because many reefs have suffered from bleaching events due to rising temperatures.Called the Kaust Coral Restoration Initiative, the project already has a functioning nursery on Saudi Arabia’s north-west Red Sea coast capable of generating 40,000 corals per year.It is a pilot project for a larger scheme set to be completed by the end of next year, with an annual capacity of 400,000 corals.Turning back the tideScientists are hoping to cultivate more healthy coral reefs. Photo: Kaust

Coral nurseries like the one that Kaust has created involve coral fragments being placed on what are sometimes compared to clothes lines.Once they have grown, nursery-developed corals can be transplanted to other areas, such as to coral reefs that have suffered damage.As recently reported, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has said that the world’s coral reefs are experiencing a major bleaching event.Corals in the Arabian Gulf,