NEOM and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) announced their entry into a joint project to establish the largest coral garden in the world on Shusha Island, which is located on the shores of the Red Sea in NEOM and has an area of ​​100 hectares.

The island, which was called “Shousha Island Coral Park”, will become a global center for displaying innovations and efforts to protect and restore coral reefs and accelerate conservation solutions in light of the consequences of climate change, and this project is scheduled to be completed in 2025, through which NEOM will become a world leader in the field of coral restoration. and coral reef development.

NEOM CEO, Engineer Nazmi Al-Nasr, said: “We work within an integrated system to preserve the environment and all its components, and we seek to preserve coral reefs in particular and marine life in general, and this is one of the environmental goals that we are working to achieve, and our cooperation with KAUST shows the important dimension of these efforts.”

He stressed the pursuit, through advanced technologies and joint experiences, to work to enhance the scientific community’s understanding of the way coral reefs adapt to climate change, in addition to searching for innovative solutions to preserve coral reefs in the Red Sea.

For his part, KAUST President Tony Chan explained that KAUST has pioneering research in the field of the Red Sea environment, and this promising project with NEOM is one of the largest technology transfer deals in KAUST history using great innovations emerging at KAUST, and we look forward to working alongside NEOM to improve our lives from Through science and technology.

And he indicated that Shusha Island in the Red Sea is home to more than 300 species of coral and 1,000 species of fish, and the coral garden will provide a unique opportunity for research and development with the aim of preserving coral reefs and attracting scientists, researchers and tourism lovers who are interested in the environment.

NEOM will use Maritechture technology, developed by scientists from the Red Sea Research Center and the Coastal and Marine Resources Laboratory at KAUST, first on the beach reefs and then the coral gardens surrounding the island.

It is noteworthy that this project will enable NEOM to be a new tourism icon, as it is a future destination of a global nature, as the island of Shusha reflects NEOM’s bold ambition towards developing marine tourism based on innovation to protect and grow marine organisms in the Red Sea.