The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) is using a marine spatial planning simulation – utilizing software specially developed in Saudi Arabia – to assess the developmental impact and enhance biodiversity.
Developed in partnership with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the technology plans, collects and analyzes oceanographic data that influences marine and terrestrial ecosystems and tracks net conservation benefits.
“Marine spatial planning helps the company decide which island to develop and which is most important to protect by integrating expert opinion, ecological principles, and a software-based decision support tool,” Lina Eyouni, Environmental Physical Science Manager, TRSDC.
“Marine spatial planning helps the company decide which island to develop and which is most important to protect”
According to a TRSDC scientific paper titled ‘Reconciling Tourism Development and Conservation Outcomes Through Marine Spatial Planning for a Saudi Giga-Project in the Red Sea’, published in the scientific journal ‘Frontiers in Marine Science’, the company is developing across-the-board plans for enhancing coral reefs, which involves growing coral nurseries and breeding healthy corals.
TRSDC is using adaptive ecosystem-based management for the environmental regulatory system, which will make use of observational data and associated modeling to provide scientific guidance for developing and protecting the ecosystem.
“TRSDC destinations will be environmentally smart by utilizing the latest technology to enhance visitors’ experiences. Additionally, the data will be uploaded and stored into a smart environmental platform to support science-informed adaptive ecosystem-based management,” Eyouni concluded.