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Investing in Blue Natural Capital to Secure a Future for the Red Sea Ecosystems

Cziesielski, Maha J.; Duarte, Carlos M.; Aalismail, Nojood; Al-Hafedh, Yousef; Anton, Andrea; Baalkhuyur, Faiyah; Baker, Andrew C.; Balke, Thorsten; Baums, Iliana B.; Berumen, Michael; Chalastani, Vasiliki I.; Cornwell, Brendan; Daffonchio, Daniele; Diele, Karen; Farooq, Ehtesaam; Gattuso, Jean-Pierre; He, Song; Lovelock, Catherine E.; Mcleod, Elizabeth; Macreadie, Peter I.; Marba, Nuria; Martin, Cecilia; Muniz-Barreto, Marcelle; Kadinijappali, Kirshnakumar P.; Prihartato, Perdana; Rabaoui, Lotfi; Saderne, Vincent; Schmidt-Roach, Sebastian; Suggett, David J.; Sweet, Michael; Statton, John; Teicher, Sam; Trevathan-Tackett, Stacey M.; Joydas, Thadickal V.; Yahya, Razan; Aranda, Manuel

Authors

Maha J. Cziesielski

Carlos M. Duarte

Nojood Aalismail

Yousef Al-Hafedh

Andrea Anton

Faiyah Baalkhuyur

Andrew C. Baker

Thorsten Balke

Iliana B. Baums

Michael Berumen

Vasiliki I. Chalastani

Brendan Cornwell

Daniele Daffonchio

Ehtesaam Farooq

Jean-Pierre Gattuso

Song He

Catherine E. Lovelock

Elizabeth Mcleod

Peter I. Macreadie

Nuria Marba

Cecilia Martin

Marcelle Muniz-Barreto

Kirshnakumar P. Kadinijappali

Perdana Prihartato

Lotfi Rabaoui

Vincent Saderne

Sebastian Schmidt-Roach

David J. Suggett

Michael Sweet

John Statton

Sam Teicher

Stacey M. Trevathan-Tackett

Thadickal V. Joydas

Razan Yahya

Manuel Aranda



Abstract

For millennia, coastal and marine ecosystems have adapted and flourished in the Red Sea’s unique environment. Surrounded by deserts on all sides, the Red Sea is subjected to high dust inputs and receives very little freshwater input, and so harbors a high salinity. Coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangroves flourish in this environment and provide socio-economic and environmental benefits to the bordering coastlines and countries. Interestingly, while coral reef ecosystems are currently experiencing rapid decline on a global scale, those in the Red Sea appear to be in relatively better shape. That said, they are certainly not immune to the stressors that cause degradation, such as increasing ocean temperature, acidification and pollution. In many regions, ecosystems are already severely deteriorating and are further threatened by increasing population pressure and large coastal development projects. Degradation of these marine habitats will lead to environmental costs, as well as significant economic losses. Therefore, it will result in a missed opportunity for the bordering countries to develop a sustainable blue economy and integrate innovative nature-based solutions. Recognizing that securing the Red Sea ecosystems’ future must occur in synergy with continued social and economic growth, we developed an action plan for the conservation, restoration, and growth of marine environments of the Red Sea. We then investigated the level of resources for financial and economic investment that may incentivize these activities. This study presents a set of commercially viable financial investment strategies, ecological innovations, and sustainable development opportunities, which can, if implemented strategically, help ensure long-term economic benefits while promoting environmental conservation. We make a case for investing in blue natural capital and propose a strategic development model that relies on maintaining the health of natural ecosystems to safeguard the Red Sea’s sustainable development.

Citation

Cziesielski, M. J., Duarte, C. M., Aalismail, N., Al-Hafedh, Y., Anton, A., Baalkhuyur, F., Baker, A. C., Balke, T., Baums, I. B., Berumen, M., Chalastani, V. I., Cornwell, B., Daffonchio, D., Diele, K., Farooq, E., Gattuso, J., He, S., Lovelock, C. E., Mcleod, E., Macreadie, P. I., …Aranda, M. (2021). Investing in Blue Natural Capital to Secure a Future for the Red Sea Ecosystems. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, Article 603722. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.603722

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Dec 10, 2020
Online Publication Date Jan 15, 2021
Publication Date 2021-01
Deposit Date Feb 19, 2021
Publicly Available Date Feb 19, 2021
Journal Frontiers in Marine Science
Print ISSN 2296-7745
Publisher Frontiers Media
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 7
Article Number 603722
DOI https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.603722
Keywords blue economy, Red Sea ecosystems, marine policy, sustainability, blue carbon, coral reefs, environmental policy
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2745376

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