Conservation initiatives enrich Saudi Arabia's unique biodiversity

Roughly one-third of Saudi Arabia’s plant and animal species are considered threatened or endangered. Conservation efforts involving preservation, renovation, and education are now underway to increase protection for wildlife on land and in the sea.

Revitalizing the reefs

For more than 30 million years, the reefs around Saudi Arabia have held the region’s most abundant biodiversity. But increasingly warmer temperatures, development, dredging, pollution, industrialization, and heavy fishing have taken their toll on reef health across the Kingdom. The Gulf is the world’s warmest sea. While its underwater inhabitants have adapted to this over time, coral reefs remain highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations and extremes. Climate change has put many species in a precarious position.

There are 266 distinct species of coral, five species of marine mammals (including whales, dolphins, and dugongs), and 1,230 species of fish in the Kingdom’s marine waters. Coral reefs act as structured habitats and breeding grounds for thousands of species. They also prevent coastal erosion. The Gulf’s offshore coral islands are mostly undisturbed by humans, predators, and lights, which make them significant nesting sites for thousands of birds as well as endangered hawksbill and green turtles.

Saudi Arabia’s only endemic bird

Saudi Arabia is home to hundreds of bird species, over half of which are migratory. Because of its diverse environments and geography, the country is an important avian breeding ground and migration path. However, only the Asir magpie is endemic.

The Asir magpie’s distinctive “ack ack” call can be heard echoing throughout the juniper forests of the southwestern Asir mountains. The magpie is a mid-sized black bird with a white underbelly and a turquoise tint to its feathers. Until recently, biologists knew little else about it. The bird’s prime habitat has shrunk to only 31 square miles (down from roughly 250 square miles a century ago) due to development. Today, there are around 100 breeding pairs of Asir magpies remaining.

Sustainably farming an arid ecosystem

From helping to modernize the traditional art of beekeeping to increasing the yield of coffee farmers, nationwide community initiatives have helped provide more sustainable solutions for agriculture. Saudi Arabia has a long history of beekeeping (especially in the southwest) but traditional methods historically yielded low quantity and quality. The arid region lacked vegetation, which impacted bee health and honey production.

A three-pronged approach to creating solutions

To address these issues, Aramco engaged its scientists and developed partnerships across the Kingdom. After identifying 199 “high priority” species and naming the Asir magpie the most endangered bird, ecologists used GIS modeling to map the remaining mountain habitat of the magpie as part of efforts to help protect their environment and improve their population.

In 2015, Aramco scientists developed and deployed a patented “mega reef” design at offshore sites in the central Arabian Gulf from Safaniyah to Half Moon Bay. Three years later, they deployed additional reefs around Safaniyah and Al Khafji. A similar reef development program was undertaken in the Red Sea at Jizan. After years of seasonal monitoring, these reefs were determined to have successfully created new rich habitats for fish and enhanced overall marine biodiversity.

On land, ecologists introduced modern beekeeping methods to more than 1,800 people in the regions of Al Bahah, Asir, Taif, and Al Madinah, and planted more than 70,000 native tree seedlings so bees had more flowers to pollinate. Women now play a key role in beekeeping, which has helped modernize the traditionally male practice. Additionally, bee production expanded beyond honey to include beeswax, propolis, royal jelly, pollen, and bee venom.

Elsewhere, in the Jazan and Asir mountains, 970 underprivileged coffee farmers received tools, updated training, and over 200,000 coffee seedlings to help increase the area’s presence in the coffee industry. Coffee trees are part of the landscape in these southwestern mountains (particularly Khawlani coffee), and coffee beans are a primary source of income. Coffee trees flower for three or four days, but it takes six months of maintenance until the trees can be harvested. Utilizing smart irrigation on a larger scale during the waiting period has helped reduce water usage by 60 to 80 percent while also increasing the harvest.

Targeted conservation work to reinvigorate damaged coral reef systems, to preserve the Asir magpie, and to elevate responsible practices for micro-industries will help the Kingdom’s biodiversity to flourish long-term.

(Photo and video credits: National Geographic CreativeWorks)