The Gulf of Aqaba’s Reefs of Hope: Assigning World Heritage Status to the Coral Reefs of the Gulf of Aqaba, Northern Red Sea

Science Policy Paper

Summary 

The Gulf of Aqaba region has hosted human enterprise, culture, and the exchange of innovative ideas and perspectives for millennia. The highly biodiverse coral reefs of this northern Red Sea site exhibit a unique resilience to global warming, which may hold the key to preserving the Earth’s corals as ocean temperatures continue to warm. However, the future of this region is under threat not only from a changing climate, but also from pollution, coastal development, and over-fishing. Coral reefs and marine life are not beholden to political borders, and urgent conservation efforts are needed, on both regional and national levels, to secure the Gulf’s unique, temperature- resistant coral reefs and their interdependent ecosystems. Success will secure the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the Gulf of Aqaba region and preserve critically endangered ecosystems for future generations. To accomplish this transboundary conservation effort, we propose that the Gulf of Aqaba region, including some of the coastal waters of Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, be considered for inclusion on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. Such designation could spur the region- wide collaboration between scientists, policymakers, and the broad range of local stakeholders necessary to secure the sustainable development of these vital coastal areas. 

Authors 

• Prof. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg 
  Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, 
  The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia 

• Prof. Maoz Fine 
  The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Science, Eilat, Israel 

• Dr Ali Al Sawalmih 
  Marine Science Station (MSS), Aqaba, Jordan 

• Dr Christine Ferrier-Pagès 
  Centre Scientifique de Monaco 

• Prof. Anders Meibom 
  Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de 
  Lausanne (EPFL) and Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland 

• Dr Rupert Ormond 
  Centre for Marine Biodiversity & Biotechnology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom 

• Prof. Christian R. Voolstra 
  Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany 

This science-policy paper has been supported editorially by Frontiers (frontiersin.org)  

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