While we work on a broad range of topics related to the ecology and management of dryland ecosystems, our main current research lines are the following:
We investigate how major global change drivers—such as rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and land-use intensification—affect the biodiversity, structure, and functioning of dryland ecosystems. By integrating field surveys, experiments, and ecological modelling, we aim to identify the mechanisms that regulate ecosystem resilience in the face of accelerating environmental change.
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) play a critical role in stabilizing soils, enhancing nutrient cycling, and supporting vegetation in drylands. Our lab develops nature-inspired biocrust-based technologies to restore degraded lands in the Arabian Peninsula. We explore how to cultivate, deploy, and monitor biocrust communities to improve soil health, increase landscape stability, and accelerate ecosystem recovery.
We harness state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, machine learning, and remote sensing to map and monitor dryland environments at multiple spatial and temporal scales. By combining high-resolution satellite imagery, drone data, and field observations, we develop predictive tools that support evidence-based natural resource management, early warning systems, and sustainable planning across arid regions.
Our research evaluates and designs nature-based solutions that enhance carbon sequestration, reduce land degradation, and improve ecosystem resilience. We work at the interface of ecology and environmental engineering to identify scalable strategies—such as soil restoration, vegetation recovery, and microbial interventions—that deliver climate benefits while supporting sustainable development goals.
Grazing is one of the most widespread land-use practices in drylands. We study how grazing pressure, livestock management, and pastoralist practices influence soil, vegetation, and microbial communities. Our aim is to develop sustainable grazing frameworks that balance biodiversity conservation, ecosystem functioning, and the livelihoods of communities that depend on rangelands across arid and hyper-arid regions.
SaudiNet is a national initiative jointly launched by KAUST and the National Center for Vegetation Cover (NCVC) to transform terrestrial ecology research and monitoring across Saudi Arabia. The project will establish a cutting-edge ecological observation network that collects standardized, long-term data on biodiversity, vegetation dynamics, soil health, and climate across the Kingdom’s diverse landscapes.
By integrating field observations with advanced environmental sensors, remote sensing technologies, and data science, SaudiNet will generate the first comprehensive baseline needed to understand how Saudi ecosystems are changing in response to climate and land-use pressures. Ultimately, the initiative aims to support evidence-based restoration, conservation, and sustainable land management, directly contributing to national goals such as the Saudi Green Initiative and Vision 2030.
This project aims to provide the first integrated, Kingdom-wide assessment of how climate and livestock grazing shape biodiversity, functioning, and long-term sustainability of Saudi terrestrial ecosystems. Through a standardized field survey across major rangelands, the research evaluates how climate, soils, and grazing pressure influence plant, mammalian, and microbial diversity, as well as key ecosystem services.
Using state-of-the-art remote sensing and artificial intelligence, the project will also estimate current livestock numbers—focusing on camels, sheep, and goats—and quantify the maximum carrying capacity of Saudi ecosystems under present and future climate conditions. The resulting datasets and forecasts will offer critical guidance for sustainable natural resource management, the development of early-warning indicators of desertification, and the implementation of national greening and restoration initiatives.
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are photosynthetic topsoil microbial communities that maintain soil health and ecosystem function in arid environments. These communities are often degraded by human activities (such as grazing) and often take decades to recover naturally. Recent advances have shown that inoculation of biocrust into degraded areas can speed recovery, but current inoculum production approaches struggle with the issue of scalability and cost.
The BIOPALMS project seeks to use existing urban/agricultural infrastructure as a platform to address the issue of scalability in biocrust inoculum production, monitor impacts on soil microbial diversity, and sustainably integrate the beneficial effects of biocrust into agricultural and land management practices in KSA.
From April to August 2025, initial survey and recovery experiments were successfully conducted as a proof of concept, demonstrating the potential of palm irrigation basins as microbial nurseries and experimental microcosms.
