Oil pollution and Red Sea tourism lead the list

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Arabian Seas Expedition

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Though the relative lack of precipitation, human population, inflow from rivers, and other natural disturbances has kept Red Sea reefs healthy overall, those along the Saudi coast are threatened by pollution from the increasing development of poorly regulated Saudi and Egyptian oil fields and related population centers, and from the de-ballasting of ships moving through the heavily trafficked Suez region.

On the Persian Gulf side, Saudi Arabia has infilled more than 40 percent of its coastline, wiping out half its mangroves; dredging and sedimentation are causing major ecological problems in coastal habitats. Fewer coral species thrive here than in the Red Sea, many living near their maximum tolerances due to high salinity and wide temperature swings; nevertheless, they appear to have bounced back from oil spills during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Urban and industrial pollution, mostly oil, are a problem in several areas, as is anchor damage to reefs on Jurayd Island.