IUCN Red List of Ecosystems: Coral Reefs of ROPME Sea Area
Abstract
Coral reefs of the ROPME Sea Area (RSA) extend from the Arabian (Persian) Gulf through the Gulf of Oman to the western Arabian Sea, spanning the coastal and offshore waters of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. With an area of 632 km2, these coral reefs represent 0.35% of the photic coral reef area assessed globally in the Red List of Ecosystems. Six ecoregions were defined using the Marine Ecoregions of the World framework, with boundaries refined to reflect regional environmental and ecological variation. These ecosystems range from marginal coral veneers adapted to extreme temperatures and salinity to structurally complex framework-building reefs. Environmental conditions range from the shallow, hypersaline Arabian (Persian) Gulf to the monsoon-driven upwelling systems of the Western Arabian Sea. Marine heatwaves are an increasing threat, while pressures from coastal development, dredging, land reclamation, and fishing vary among ecoregions. The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems assessment evaluated reef condition between 1975 and 2025 using historical and contemporary monitoring data, observed Degree Heating Weeks records from 1985-2025 and climate projections for 2026-2075. All six ecoregions were classified as Critically Endangered overall. This classification integrates historical declines, present condition and geographic distribution under Criteria A, B, C1 and D with projected environmental degradation under subcriterion C2. Across Criteria A, B, C1 and D, three ecoregions were Critically Endangered, two Endangered and one Vulnerable. Subcriterion C2 returned a Critically Endangered result for five ecoregions, elevating the overall classification of three. Western Arabian Sea – North was Not Evaluated under C2 and was classified as Critically Endangered overall because of its restricted distribution under subcriterion B1. As the first region-wide assessment of coral reef collapse risk in the region, this study shows that even highly heat-tolerant coral communities face a high risk of collapse under continued global warming, reinforcing the need for climate action, effective local management and sustained regional monitoring.
Related
BibTeX
@misc{bento2026iucn,
title = {{IUCN Red List of Ecosystems: Coral Reefs of ROPME Sea Area}},
author = {Rita C. Bento and Amal Al-Gargawi and Jenan Al Asfoor and Suaad Al Harthi and Reem AlMealla and Rawan Alkhudhair and Ivonne Bejarano and Sudhanshu Dixit and Amir Ghazilou and Antoine O.H.C. Leduc and Elayne Looker and Nithyanandan Manickam and Daniel Mateos-Molina and Pedro Range and Mohammad R. Shokri and Goutham Sambath and Oli Taylor and Mishal Gudka and Franz Smith and John A. Burt},
howpublished = {EcoEvoRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.32942/x25t26},
url = {https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/15660/},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - IUCN Red List of Ecosystems: Coral Reefs of ROPME Sea Area
AU - Rita C. Bento
AU - Amal Al-Gargawi
AU - Jenan Al Asfoor
AU - Suaad Al Harthi
AU - Reem AlMealla
AU - Rawan Alkhudhair
AU - Ivonne Bejarano
AU - Sudhanshu Dixit
AU - Amir Ghazilou
AU - Antoine O.H.C. Leduc
AU - Elayne Looker
AU - Nithyanandan Manickam
AU - Daniel Mateos-Molina
AU - Pedro Range
AU - Mohammad R. Shokri
AU - Goutham Sambath
AU - Oli Taylor
AU - Mishal Gudka
AU - Franz Smith
AU - John A. Burt
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
PB - EcoEvoRxiv
DO - 10.32942/x25t26
UR - https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/15660/
AB - Coral reefs of the ROPME Sea Area (RSA) extend from the Arabian (Persian) Gulf through the Gulf of Oman to the western Arabian Sea, spanning the coastal and offshore waters of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. With an area of 632 km2, these coral reefs represent 0.35% of the photic coral reef area assessed globally in the Red List of Ecosystems. Six ecoregions were defined using the Marine Ecoregions of the World framework, with boundaries refined to reflect regional environmental and ecological variation. These ecosystems range from marginal coral veneers adapted to extreme temperatures and salinity to structurally complex framework-building reefs. Environmental conditions range from the shallow, hypersaline Arabian (Persian) Gulf to the monsoon-driven upwelling systems of the Western Arabian Sea. Marine heatwaves are an increasing threat, while pressures from coastal development, dredging, land reclamation, and fishing vary among ecoregions. The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems assessment evaluated reef condition between 1975 and 2025 using historical and contemporary monitoring data, observed Degree Heating Weeks records from 1985-2025 and climate projections for 2026-2075. All six ecoregions were classified as Critically Endangered overall. This classification integrates historical declines, present condition and geographic distribution under Criteria A, B, C1 and D with projected environmental degradation under subcriterion C2. Across Criteria A, B, C1 and D, three ecoregions were Critically Endangered, two Endangered and one Vulnerable. Subcriterion C2 returned a Critically Endangered result for five ecoregions, elevating the overall classification of three. Western Arabian Sea – North was Not Evaluated under C2 and was classified as Critically Endangered overall because of its restricted distribution under subcriterion B1. As the first region-wide assessment of coral reef collapse risk in the region, this study shows that even highly heat-tolerant coral communities face a high risk of collapse under continued global warming, reinforcing the need for climate action, effective local management and sustained regional monitoring.
ER -