Scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with NEOM, have launched the first nursery of the KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative. “KCRI is the largest coral restoration project in the world and represents a significant step towards restoring reefs globally with a primary nursery officially in operation and a second facility in development, both in the Red Sea,” according to a statement released on Thursday. The nursery, built on the coast of NEOM in northwest Saudi Arabia, is set to transform coral restoration efforts with a production capacity of 40,000 corals annually. Functioning as a pioneering pilot facility, researchers will leverage the project as the blueprint for large-scale coral restoration initiatives, including the world’s largest and most advanced land-based coral nursery. Located at the same site, this advanced coral nursery will boast a 10-fold larger capacity to nurture 400,000 corals annually. The project is expected to be completed by December 2025. Home to 25 percent of known marine species despite covering less than 1 percent of the sea floor, coral reefs are the bedrock of numerous marine ecosystems. Experts estimate up to 90 percent of global coral reefs will experience severe heat stress by 2050. Prof. Tony Chan, president of KAUST, said: “Recent events provide a stark reminder of the global crisis that coral reefs face. Our ambition is, therefore, to pioneer a pathway to upscale from the current labor-intensive restoration efforts to industrial-scale processes required to reverse the current rate of coral reef degradation.” The initiative aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030 and its efforts to bolster marine conservation, leveraging KAUST’s research into marine ecosystems and serving as a platform to test innovative restoration methods. Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM, said: “Through our long-standing partnership with the KAUST, we will also highlight the role of coral reefs, among the most important marine environmental systems, and the value of their preservation for future generations.”