Saudi Arabian seas are severely prone to marine invasions, partially due to intense shipping traffic. However, little is known about the current state of marine invasive species in the region. Importantly, climate change is exerting a significant effect in the re-distribution of marine species worldwide by shifting their distributions to regions with more favorable conditions. The expected increase in marine based operations associated with the new Giga-projects in the Red Sea including the construction of new ports will likely increase the probability for potential invasive species to enlarge their distribution ranges within the country’s national waters. For these reasons, there is an urgent need to develop biosecurity programs for the management of invasive species and to protect local communities.

The workshop will address the following topics: 

1. Best practices for designing and implementing biosecurity monitoring programs in data-poor regions lacking historical records; 
2. Model invasive species distribution and forecast changes under climate change scenarios; 
3. Technological advances and citizen science to assist in the early detection of non-indigenous species.

The workshop will consist of a one-day public symposium followed by three days of hands-on meetings with a selected number of participants. The open day will include different sessions with a 30-minute presentation from a keynote speaker and 12-minute presentations followed by live, interactive Q&A. Given the diverse time zones involved, and to avoid connection issues, the presentations will be pre-recorded and available for playback.