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Red Sea Global Launches Plant Nursery of 50 Million Mangrove Trees by 2030

The initiative closely aligns with the national objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and RSG’s commitment to conserving and revitalizing the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast. SPA
The initiative closely aligns with the national objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and RSG’s commitment to conserving and revitalizing the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast. SPA
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Red Sea Global Launches Plant Nursery of 50 Million Mangrove Trees by 2030

The initiative closely aligns with the national objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and RSG’s commitment to conserving and revitalizing the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast. SPA
The initiative closely aligns with the national objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and RSG’s commitment to conserving and revitalizing the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast. SPA

Red Sea Global (RSG) - the developer behind two of the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism destinations, The Red Sea and Amaala - successfully opened its first mangrove nursery in Saudi Arabia. The project will support RSG’s aim to plant 50 million mangrove trees by 2030, in partnership with the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification.

The initiative closely aligns with the national objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and RSG’s commitment to conserving and revitalizing the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast, underpinned by an overarching ambition to deliver a 30 percent net conservation benefit by 2040.

"We hold the utmost respect for the environment in which we operate and recognize it as our most valuable asset. It is our shared obligation to not only safeguard it but also proactively enhance it wherever possible. The successful opening of our Mangrove Nursery is a testament to that unyielding dedication to preserving and rejuvenating the Red Sea coastline," said RSG Group CEO John Pagano.

"While we will continue to explore novel approaches, embrace cutting-edge methodologies, and utilize innovative technology, often nature already provides the greatest solutions. The power of mangrove forests to store carbon, manage flooding and stabilize coastlines, and provide shelter for fish and other organisms, makes them one of nature’s super ecosystems. Our Mangrove Nursery will increase the numbers of mangroves and boost biodiversity, ensuring we reach the environmental ambitions we have set ourselves." he added.

The seedlings will be cared for in the nursery for approximately eight months until they grow to 80 cm, at which point they will be carefully transplanted to designated mangrove parks within the destination. RSG’s experts chose to cultivate native mangrove species Rhizophora Mucronate (red mangrove) and Avicenna Marina (gray mangrove) to increase the chances of survival.

RSG Group Chief Environment and Sustainability Officer Raed Albasseet said: "The establishment of a sustainable mangrove ecosystem is a key part of our commitment to protect and enhance the natural environment of our destination. These trees are among the most efficient tools we have for carbon sequestration, with the capacity to absorb up to 5-10 times more carbon than other plants. Coupled with the positive impact on biodiversity, the successful cultivation of seedlings forms a central pillar in our ambition to achieve a 30 percent net conservation benefit across our destinations. I speak for the entire team when I express my pride in reaching this milestone moment for our organization.”

Mangrove nurseries must also be protected from natural threats in their own habitats such as storms, extreme high tides, grazing animals, and algae that feed on them. RSG has implemented the highest measures of protection for the nursery to minimize any harm to the seedlings.

The dedicated mangrove parks will soon form part of the guest experience, open for visitors to explore and learn more about their important role in natural ecosystems.

“The process of the cultivation and transplantation of mangrove trees is highly technical, requiring significant planning and proficiency. Since mangrove forests require water to survive, nurseries are typically located near a source of water within the intertidal zone to ensure the optimal growth of the seedlings. We need to carefully track the tide cycles to find periods of low tide and consistently monitor the weather to avoid windy days, " said Tarik Alabbasi, RSG Environmental Programs Director.

The establishment of the mangrove nursery is the latest initiative launched by RSG to protect and enhance key habitats crucial to biodiversity. Previous projects include the first-ever successful transplantation of native Doum Palm Trees, achieved earlier this year, and the establishment of pioneering floating coral nurseries to help expand the region’s coral reefs. The group also regularly conducts environmental surveys of wildlife ecosystems to track impacts and improvements, optimize its approach, and ensure it reaches its regenerative goals.

RSG recently released findings from its latest Wildlife and Ecosystem Study that builds on results of the largest ever environmental baseline survey conducted by a real-estate developer released last year, covering 250 km of coastline across The Red Sea and Amaala destination areas.

The Red Sea destination is on track to welcome its first guests this year, when the international airport and the first hotels will open. Amaala will be opened to visitors soon after in 2024.

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Why Does Trump Want to End US Daylight Saving Time?

Members of the public on a snow covered National Mall in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2025. (EPA)
Members of the public on a snow covered National Mall in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2025. (EPA)
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Why Does Trump Want to End US Daylight Saving Time?

Members of the public on a snow covered National Mall in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2025. (EPA)
Members of the public on a snow covered National Mall in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2025. (EPA)

Daylight saving time, a practice affecting almost 400 million people across North America, is once again in the spotlight as debates over its necessity continue. This twice-a-year ritual of adjusting clocks forward in spring and back in autumn has been ingrained in American, Canadian and Cuban life for more than a century. However, US President-elect Donald Trump has pushed for an end to daylight saving time, which he has called inconvenient and costly.

WHAT DID TRUMP SAY ABOUT DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME?

Trump said his Republican Party would work to end daylight saving time after he takes office on Jan. 20.

"The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't!" Trump wrote on social media. "Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation."

Trump's billionaire allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, whom he picked to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, have endorsed Trump's plan.

In 2022, the US Senate passed a bill called the Sunshine Protection Act that would make daylight saving time permanent. It stalled in the House of Representatives because lawmakers could not agree on whether to keep standard time or permanent daylight saving time.

Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, could revive the bill or introduce a new one.

WHEN DO THE CLOCKS CHANGE?

Any changes that Trump and the Republicans may enact probably would not take effect immediately.

Daylight saving time in the United States and some other countries is due to start on March 9 at 2 a.m. local time, meaning people will lose an hour of sleep. Mornings will be darker but it will stay light until later in the evening. Daylight saving time is scheduled to end on Nov. 2. The saying "spring forward, fall back" serves as a helpful reminder for adjusting clocks.

Daylight saving time in the United States always starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

In the UK and other European countries, daylight saving time, also known as summer time, begins on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October. This year it will start on March 30 and end on Oct. 26.

WHEN IS THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR IN 2025?

The shortest day of 2025 will be on Dec. 21, which marks the winter solstice. Daylight hours vary significantly across latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Areas near the North Pole will be plunged into complete darkness while southern regions will still get more than 10 hours of sunshine.

WHY WAS DAYLIGHT SAVING CREATED IN THE US AND HOW DID IT START?

The modern idea of changing the clocks with the seasons can be traced back to at least the late 19th century, when New Zealand entomologist George Hudson proposed it to conserve energy and extend summer daylight hours, something that would have benefited his hobby of collecting insects after work. The idea was slow to gain traction until World War One, when European states sought any strategies to conserve fuel. Germany was the first country to adopt daylight saving time in 1916. The United States followed in 1918.

The practice went through many variations before the United States standardized it in 1966 in a law called the Uniform Time Act, which allows states to opt out of it but not to stay on daylight saving time permanently.

WHY IS DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME CONTROVERSIAL?

A common myth is that the United States adopted daylight saving time to benefit farmers, but in reality many farmers are opposed to the practice for being disruptive to their schedules.

The original motivation to conserve fuel is also under debate, as studies have found little, if any, energy savings from the shift, according to the US Congressional Research Service.

Opponents point to other studies that have found adverse health effects linked to daylight saving time, such as a spike in fatal traffic accidents, heart attacks, strokes and sleep deprivation in the days after clocks are moved forward an hour every March.

A March 2023 YouGov poll found that 62% of Americans want to end the practice of changing clocks, though only 50% prefer to keep permanent daylight saving time.

DO ALL US STATES OBSERVE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME?

No. Hawaii and Arizona, with the exception of its Navajo Nation region, do not observe daylight saving time. The US territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands also observe permanent standard time.

While daylight saving time is widespread across the United States, 19 states have passed legislation to permanently use daylight saving time if Congress were to allow it, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.