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Abstract

The Red Sea boasts a diverse coastal environment, unique coral reef biodiversity, and fisheries that support rapidly growing marine tourism. Its excellent tourism facilities make it a popular destination. However, intensive tourist activities such as swimming, boating, diving, and fishing have a negative impact on the coastal and marine ecosystem. Additionally, in line with Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has launched mega projects along the Red Sea coast, increasing tourist activity and leading to human intrusion into critical yet vulnerable marine ecosystems like coral reefs, fish, sea grass beds, and mangrove stands. With the rise in tourism activities and disruptions to the Red Sea marine ecosystems, it is essential to evaluate the impact of human activities on Red Sea biodiversity, specifically on coral reefs and fisheries. An assessment of disturbances to the marine environment is crucial for developing environmental awareness and mitigation strategies. Therefore, this review aims to explore how tourism-related activities such as diving, boating, and resort construction could impact coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, and fish stocks. The findings of this analysis underscore the necessity for integrated coastal zone management and sustainable tourism guidelines to strike a balance between economic growth and biodiversity conservation

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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