Saudi Arabia to set up world’s largest coral park in Red Sea

Abu Dhabi: Saudi Arabia has announced a joint project to establish the world’s largest coral park at NEOM, the futuristic mega-city being built in the Kingdom’s northwest.

NEOM and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) said the 100-hectare project will be set up on Shusha Island on the Red Sea shores.

The Shusha Island Coral Park will become a global centre to showcase innovations to protect and restore coral reefs and accelerate conservation solutions, helping to reduce the effects of climate change, a statement issued by Saudi Press Agency said.

The project is scheduled to be completed in 2025, making NEOM a world leader in restoring and developing coral reefs.

It will enable NEOM to be a new tourism icon and a futuristic destination with a global character, as Shusha island reflects NEOM’s bold ambition toward developing marine tourism based on innovation to protect and grow marine organisms in the Red Sea.

“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. 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,” NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al Nasr said.