More than 5,000 rare Red Mangrove seedlings restored at Al Wajh Lagoon
Riyadh, 24 Feb 2026 – Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea and AMAALA, has completed the largest Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mucronata) restoration effort ever undertaken in Saudi Arabia, advancing the Kingdom’s leadership in coastal conservation and regenerative development.
RSG has successfully propagated and transplanted over 5,000 Red Mangrove seedlings within the Al Wajh Lagoon, home to the northernmost natural population of this species in the world. The Red Mangrove, known locally as Qandal, is one of the Red Sea’s rarest and most sensitive ecosystems. It plays an essential role in supporting marine biodiversity, providing nursery habitats for fish and crustaceans, buffering coastlines, and storing carbon at rates far higher than most terrestrial forests.
“Restoring Red Mangroves at this scale is a remarkable scientific achievement for RSG and for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This species has notoriously complex requirements, but plays a vitally important role in supporting and stabilizing local environments. By restoring the Al Wajh population, we expect to deliver measurable environmental gains that benefit our communities, our biodiversity, and future generations,”
The Red Mangrove is far more demanding than the resilient Gray Mangrove (Avicennia marina). It can only thrive in precisely balanced saline, sheltered, and tidally stable environments. The species is highly sensitive to shifts in temperature, sediment, and water depth.
Despite these challenges, RSG achieved an exceptional 97% survival rate, a rare accomplishment made possible through the company’s rigorous, science-led restoration approach. This includes advanced nursery propagation, specialized sediment stabilization, and innovative tidal water management techniques developed entirely in-house.
Rashid AlHatilah, Group Head of Environmental Sustainability at RSG, added: “The Red Mangrove is among the rarest species along the Red Sea. Our success at Al Wajh Lagoon is both a national and regional breakthrough. We are only at the beginning of a much larger journey to restore and protect these vital ecosystems.”
This initiative builds on RSG’s broader mangrove restoration program, which includes the successful transplantation of more than 3 million Gray Mangrove seedlings to date out of a planned six million, one of the largest such programs in the Kingdom and the wider region.
The Red Sea destination now counts nine luxury hotels that are open and welcoming guests, as well as Thuwal Private Retreat off the coast of Jeddah. RSG recently announced the highly anticipated launch of AMAALA Triple Bay, which will see the debut of six world-class luxury resorts initially, as well as a yacht club, marine life institute, state-of-the-art marina and bustling Marina Village over the coming months.
