Coral reefs are the most biodiverse ecosystem in eastern Arabia, and monitoring is necessary to understand their current status and trends in health. Image credit: John Burt; Al Harf reef, Musandam, Oman
A new study by MENA Oceans Advisory Board Member Dr. John A. Burt and co-authors from Mubadala ACCESS Center, New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and Heriot-Watt University, marks a milestone in regional coral reef science. The evolution of coral reef monitoring in eastern Arabia: trends, gaps, and opportunities for the ROPME Sea Area review synthesises nearly four decades of data mapping the development of reef monitoring efforts across the region.
As MENA’s marine and coastal regeneration ambitions evolve, real-time, region-specific ecosystem monitoring becomes a foundational intelligence need. This is especially true for coral reefs, a critical asset that underpins the region’s growing blue economies and coastal protection, with local species simultaneously some of the most heat-tolerant and most at-risk in the world.
This review highlights sharp disparities in monitoring capacity and continuity, while identifying the technical and governance levers needed to strengthen marine intelligence and support more coordinated, long-term conservation strategies.
Gaps at a Glance: What’s Missing in Monitoring
The review presents a comprehensive assessment of coral reef monitoring that is scientifically rich but institutionally underdeveloped, and therefore positioned for strategic renewal.
- Geographic Concentration and Limited Institutional Continuity
Monitoring is concentrated in select areas, with limited local leadership and sustained engagement. - Predominantly Short-Term and Fragmented Studies
Long-term and transboundary research is scarce despite the volatile and interconnected nature of reef stressors. - Methodological Variability and Underutilisation of Citizen Science
Diverse monitoring approaches hinder data comparability; citizen-generated data remains largely excluded. - Accelerating Environmental Pressures Outpacing Monitoring Capacity
Reef degradation is not matched by adequate or coordinated monitoring efforts.
From Fragmented Data to Strategic Insight
This research serves as a region-wide intelligence baseline with broad relevance for reshaping conservation efforts and advancing climate resilience plans. It offers clear recommendations that:
- Position long-term, standardised monitoring as essential environmental infrastructure.
- Underscore the need for credible ecological data to inform nature-based solutions, ESG-linked investments, and sustainable coastal development.
- Identify where targeted capacity-building, data-sharing mechanisms, and regional partnerships can deliver the greatest returns.
Several of the recommended steps from the study have been put in motion over the past two years through a series of monitoring methods and data standardisation workshops organised by Dr. Burt and colleagues at NYUAD. This has led to the most comprehensive data-driven regional assessment of reefs to date, with the report due for publication in early 2026.
The review and its findings provide the scaffolding for a more coherent, inclusive, and future-ready monitoring architecture that treats the ROPME Sea Area as a single, interconnected ecosystem requiring shared data, shared capacity, and shared responsibility.
Read the review in full at the link below: